Yugioh: Chaos Unleashed
by NuttyBuddy792
Summary: A 5D's/Animated Series xover where Yugi and Kaiba are swept into the future to both recover the stolen Egyptian god cards and help Yusei and co save the world yet again from a diabolical villain unlike any ever seen before. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Era

It had been another normal day in the Muto household, if by normal you mean avoiding hordes of fangirls or taking on a couple of plucky challengers eager for the title of "The King of Games". Yugi sat at the dinner table, eating out of a cup of ramen noodles while his Grandpa examined some new artifact from Africa. He looked down at the Millennium Puzzle hanging by a chain around his neck, then looked at his friend, Tea Gardner, who was sitting across the table from him. She had swooped in out of nowhere while he was trying desperately to escape the throng of fangirls threatening to suffocate him and pulled him out of the mess.

"Guess my attempt to scare those girls off didn't work out so well, huh?" Tea said with a sheepish grin.

Yugi grinned despite himself. Tea had tried to sell the idea that Yugi already had a girlfriend by kissing him full on the lips while the fangirls gave chase. Unfortunately for them, that kiss turned the loving adulation of the females into burning hatred and rage, forcing the two of them to run for safety. They had eventually made it back to the Muto household safely, but not before Yugi got hit by a rock. He winced as he touched the small black eye he was now sporting. "It was a nice idea, but shouldn't you have known they would react like that?"

"Not all women act the same," Tea answered in a huff, "I thought they were going to go away and sulk, maybe write a bit of hate mail, but definitely didn't think they'd try and kill us!"

"At least we're alright," Yugi said sagely, "what about Joey and Tristan? I didn't see them after you kissed me."

Tea blushed slightly. Yugi's naivety never failed to catch her off guard. "Well, last I saw, Joey was still taking on challengers and Tristan was still there as moral support. If I know Joey, he's still dueling."

Yugi slurped up some more ramen. "He never could turn down a challenge. Still, shouldn't we let him know he can stop now?"

"I'm sure he'll stop when he gets hungry," Tea said nonchalantly, "But if it's worrying you that much, I'll try and call him to let him know you're worried about him." She walked over to the phone and began dialing Joey's cell phone number. Yugi, meanwhile, sensed the Pharaoh's presence.

"I know firsthand the bonds between you and your friends, Yugi," the Pharaoh said, laying a spiritual hand on Yugi's shoulder, "And I know you would be devastated if something were to happen to them. However, Joey's just doing what he does best, and I sensed no movement in the shadows. Your friend is safe."

"I trust you Pharaoh," Yugi replied, "I'd rather see it personally that everyone's alright. I'd hate for something to happen to them simply because we're the best duelist."

"And that is why you are the best duelist," the Pharaoh said. "You duel for others, not like Kaiba or Marik, who dueled for self-gain. It's why we were fated to meet and save the world from the likes of Marik and Dartz. And it's why we may still have to save the world once more."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, perplexed.

"I don't exactly know," Pharaoh replied, "Call it an instinct feeling, but I feel that the world is going to need our help soon. Just not tonight." He smiled and faded back into the Puzzle.

"How soon is soon?" Yugi asked out loud.

"I'd say about fifteen minutes," Tea replied, misunderstanding the question, then seeing Yugi's face. "Or were you talking with the Pharaoh?"

"He said something about the world needing our help soon, but not tonight," Yugi answered, "Now what's this about fifteen minutes?"

"My parents are expecting me back by 10 tonight," Tea replied, pulling a face. "I hate curfews. I'm an adult, we're about to graduate high school, yet she still treats me like a kid sometimes!"

"Now now there young Tea," Solomon Muto interrupted, walking into the kitchen as Yugi slurped down the last of the ramen, "Your parents impose rules because they love you. You are an adult, but you've only been an adult for a few months now. That doesn't mean you're automatically able to survive in the cruel adult world. Do you not have your own car and license?"

"Yeah, but-" Tea began

"Then your parents have already given you a great amount of freedom as it is. The best way to gain more freedom is to abide by the rules your parents set for you, earning their trust so that you CAN begin to live on your own. Do you understand what I'm saying young lady?" Solomon asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, Mr. Muto," Tea answered, all sense of defiance gone, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Take care" Solomon said, "And remember, one of the best gifts in life is experience."

"And friends to share it with," Yugi added, earning an approving nod from his grandfather.

"And friends to share it with," Solomon repeated, "See you around Tea."

"Thanks!" Tea said and walked out the door. There was the sound of a car starting up and Yugi saw Tea's small, white convertible drive off towards her home out the window.

"Now, it's getting late," Solomon said, "why don't we both retire to our rooms and turn in for the night?"

Yugi wiped some sauce off his face and nodded. "I think we both could use some shut-eye. Goodnight Grandpa!"

"Goodnight Yugi," Solomon said with a weary smile as both Mutos trudged up the stairs to their separate rooms, "And don't stay up too late talking with the Pharaoh, I'm sure he needs his rest as well."

"Don't worry Grandpa, I won't." Yugi closed his bedroom door and promptly changed into his pajamas.

"He didn't say we couldn't talk at all," Yami commented, "And I'm sure you want to know what I meant earlier."

Yugi nodded as he flopped onto his bed. "Yeah, a cryptic message about the world needing us isn't exactly what I wanted to hear after a long day of avoiding both crazed women and rabid duelists."

"Life at the top isn't all roses and sweets," Pharaoh said with a smile.

"And you didn't warn me as we rose to the top?" Yugi asked jokingly.

"I think we both were more concerned with stopping Pegasus and Marik at the time," Yami answered.

Yugi chuckled as he looked at Yami sitting in his chair by his desk, arms behind his head as he lay back on his bed. "Saving the world does seem more important than becoming the King of Games. But all joking aside, what exactly did you mean earlier when you said you thought the world would need us soon? I though you said earlier you sensed no movement in the shadows."

"And I did sense no movement towards Joey," Yami said as his face grew serious, brow furrowed in concentration. "However, the shadows are always shifting, waiting for an opportunity to take over. Even now, someone is plotting something nefarious towards someone else. Darkness always lurks, no matter how hard we try to banish it. It is a part of human nature. However, it is also true that a candle shines brightest in the dark. It may not be today or tomorrow, but someday in the future, a great evil will rise up to try and eliminate that light that is the goodness of all mankind. All I can say is that we must remain vigilant for anything. My gut is telling me to be prepared for something, but what, I can't figure out."

"Well maybe a good night's sleep will help you figure it out," Yugi suggested, trying and failing to suppress a yawn.

Yami smiled. "That may do the trick. Good night Yugi."

"Good night Pharaoh," came the tired response from under the covers as the King of Games was quickly overcome with sleep. The Pharaoh looked out the window at the star covered sky one last time before returning to the Millennium Puzzle. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had, but he saw no reason to burden his host with the problem. 'Yugi worries about his friends enough, he doesn't need to worry about me as well' Pharaoh thought as he returned to his room within the Puzzle. 'Whatever happens, I'm sure we can handle it.'

4 Hours Later

2 in the morning is generally considered part of the quiet hours of the morning. Most people have decided to finally turn in or have ended their rather mature endeavors due to exhaustion. Few people stay awake to enjoy the quiet hours of the night, though the majority of those people could either be described as college students working on an essay due the next morning or unsavory characters looking to purloin same valuable commodities from their sleeping neighbors. Indeed, two such characters were outside the Muto household, about to put into motion events that would affect many other lives if their nefarious plans came to pass.

"You know what to do once you're inside, right my dear?" the man asked. He wasn't the most intimidating man, physically at least. Behind that black mask, however, lay a man of cunning, deceit, and partial insanity. His followers knew nothing about the madness behind his eyes, but they did follow in his cause. The woman he was talking to was dressed in a black, tight jumpsuit, eerily similar to something out of a spy movie, and her athletic build did nothing to dispel that idea. Her long, dark hair was tied back in a simple braid, perfect for breaking and entering.

"Yes, master," she answered simply, "I am to steal the Egyptian God cards Obelisk the Tormentor and The Winged Dragon of Ra from Yugi's deck without alerting him."

"Very good, and put a smile on that face, sweetie, you're about to steal from the King of Games himself! Most people in New Domino City would kill to simply meet the boy; you're about to grab two of the most powerful cards ever made, made by Maxamillion himself! You oughta be positively elated!" The masked man ended this with a dark chuckle.

The woman gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile, to which the masked man pouted. "My dear Kuno, you must lighten up. We are about to start something grand!"

"I must focus on my mission. I can't let frivolous emotions get in the way right now." Kuno countered, "Is it time?"

"Soon, my dear," the masked man said simply, "in three, two, one. Go!" The woman rolled her eyes at his antics and began nimbly climbing up the side of the house. Her slender hands found places to grip that no average climber would have found. The woman, whose full name is Kuno Ichi, had Olympic caliber talent and was soon perched somewhat awkwardly outside Yugi's window. Kuno then pulled on a glove with sharp claws attached and cut a circle big enough for her to fit her slim hand through and unlock the latch. Swiftly, she opened the window and eased her slender frame silently into Yugi's bedroom. Taking stock of the situation, she spotted the yellow and purple hair of the duelist she had heard so many legends about as she grew up. He was deep in slumber, sprawled out all over the bed; covers knocked every which way; all in all a rather unflattering view of Yugi.

"The textbooks always made him seem taller," Kuno whispered to herself as her sharp eyes looked away from the sleeping Duel King and began taking in every detail about his room, scanning for the items she had come here for. Finally, she spotted the Duel Disk lying on the desk. His deck lay next to the disk. She began to look through the deck in absolute silence, looking at each of the famous cards carefully before putting it back on the bottom. Kuno gasped when she finally found the cards she was looking for. A sharp tingle went through her arm as she viewed both the blue demon and the divine dragon in her hands. She pocketed the cards and turned to make her escape back to her master.

"I'd put those cards back if I were you," a deep, commanding voice echoed around the room, freezing Kuno in her tracks. She looked around, worried, knowing she had been silent except for that one little gasp. She immediately looked at Yugi on the bed, but he was still sleeping; tossing and turning, but still asleep.

"Who's there?" Kuno asked, crouching low, ready to act upon any sign of movement, a black throwing star appearing in her hand.

The disembodied voice chuckled. "Someone you don't want to mess with. Put the cards back and I'll let you leave with your sanity."

It was Kuno's turn to chuckle. "My mind cannot be broken, not even by a spirit." With that, she climbed onto the window sill and prepared to leap down to her master, who was waiting below.

"You're going to regret that. MIND CRUSH!" yelled the voice and Kuno faltered as a sudden wave of pain seemed to explode within her skull. Her graceful leap turned into a crashing fall into the tree right next to the shop, yet she managed to retain consciousness. She staggered to her feet and stumbled over to the man in the black mask before collapsing onto the back seat of the odd looking motorcycle.

"My dear, it seems that you had a bit of a misstep," the man chuckled as he turned on the motor, "I thought a kunoichi named Kuno Ichi would be better than that! Ha!"

"That boy… is more powerful… than we imagined," Kuno gasped out, "It would… be wise to leave now!" With that, she fell into unconsciousness, guaranteed to wake up with a splitting headache later. Back in the Muto house, Pharaoh (for who else would it be) surveyed his work, impressed that someone had actually managed to resist his Mind Crush technique. Realizing she had help, the ancient spirit from Egypt went over to Yugi and began yelling in his ear "Wake up!" Yugi was currently in the middle of a dream, and what a dream it was; Yugi was helpless as he watched a warrior and a dragon, led by a dark figure, all three emanating chaotic energy that made Yugi shudder, lay waste to several cities across the globe, though he couldn't recognize any of those cities. He saw five people with strange red marks on their arms summon powerful dragons to fight off the evil, but they too fell, one by one, until only a man in blue with hair not unlike Yugi's remained. He had a yellow line under his left eye as he wept openly for his fallen comrades , but he continued fighting, calling upon an even stronger version of his dragon and actually striking down the warrior and the enemy dragon. Alas, he too fell to the dark figure that reigned over the two. A man in strange gold and black outfit commanded the dark figure, calling the dark figure "The Envoy of the Beginning and the End". That man began laughing maniacally as he called upon a woman who emanated the same chaotic energy as the dark figure and together, they began to lay waste to the rest of the world. Yugi screamed as he tried desperately to do something, ANYTHING to help, but the flames began to consume him as well, until he heard the Pharaoh's voice.

"Wake up!"

"huh?"

"WAKE UP!" Yugi shot upright in his bed, confused beyond comprehension.

"Wha?" Yugi asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"The god cards are being stolen!" Yami cried. He promptly took control of Yugi's body, forcing him over to the window in time for Yugi to see a black and white strange motorcycle rev up its engines and take off down the street, disappearing around the corner with a strange flash of light.

"What's going on?!" Yugi asked, not comprehending still. Yami remained silent, prompting Yugi to ask again, "What just happened?"

The Pharaoh walked Yugi over to his desk, picked up his deck, and relinquished control of Yugi's body back to Yugi. "We lost two very important cards tonight."

Yugi immediately began to thumb through his deck, scared by the hidden implications. "Which cards are you talking about? Please tell me this is a joke! There's Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Slifer, Valkyrion, Buster." Yugi stopped when he finally saw who was missing. "Ra and Obelisk are gone." He said simply. "They're gone…"

"We have to get them back. In the wrong hands, the Egyptian gods could cause untold chaos," Pharaoh said. "Get dressed, we need to get help if we're going to track those cards down."

"Right," Yugi said and began to throw on his Domino City High uniform.

Later….

"You mean ta tell me that some chick broke into yo house and made off with 2 of the Egyptian god cards?" Joey Wheeler asked sleepily as he eyed Yugi. He, Tristan, and Tea had all agreed to meet, however reluctantly, with Yugi after receiving frantic calls from the Duel King. After Yugi explained both the theft and the dream, a silence had fallen over the group, until Joey broke the silence.

"Yeah," Yugi said patiently.

"And you saw this dude destroy the world with some chaotic monsters in a dream?"

"Yes Joey."

"And you have no idea who or where dis guy is?"

"Thank you for summing up what he just told us Joey," Tristan commented, "Because we totally needed to hear that again."

"Hey, I'm just making sure I got all the facts straight," Joey snapped.

"You should worry more about putting your shirt on straight," Tristan countered.

"It's 3 in the morning, and when Yuge called sounding like he did, I ain't gonna worry about whether or not my shirt's on straight!" Joey said as he began to fix his shirt.

"Well, at least you remembered to put a shirt on, it's a start," Tristan teased.

"Why I oughta!" Joey began, advancing towards Tristan with his shirt halfway around. Tea stood between the two and held up a warning finger.

"Boys, now is not the time for fighting," she cautioned, "Yugi's missing two Egyptian god cards. We have to figure out a way to track them down."

"Why not ask Seto Kaiba to use Kaibacorp to track them down?" Tristan suggested.

"You wanna go begging rich-boy for help?!" Joey asked incredulously, looking at Tristan as though he'd grown a second head.

"You got any other ideas?"

"Yeah, wait for the guy to show up challenging Yugi for his title," Joey said as if it were obvious, "With two Egyptian gods in his deck, I'm sure he'll show up looking for a shot at the top."

"Because that's totally what happened the last time the god cards were stolen," Tea noted, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Dartz totally came after Yugi's title when he had the god cards stolen."

"That was a ten thousand year plan," Joey argued, "I don't think we're going to get another guy from Atlantis using some crazy seal trying to destroy everything."

"No, we're just getting another crazy guy trying to destroy the world," Tristan said, "Joey, I know you hate the guy, but we have no other way of tracking the god cards."

"I ain't gonna give rich-boy the satisfaction of beggin for help!" Joey snarled, banging his fist on the table outside the game shop.

"We're not begging," Yugi pointed out, "we're just asking for a little help. I'll duel Kaiba if that's what it takes, but we have to at least try."

Joey grunted. "It feels like begging."

"You don't have to come with us," Tea pointed out, "You could slink back to bed right now and nobody would be mad about it."

Tristan grinned, "Then I wouldn't get to see you yell at Kaiba, and that's always fun to watch."

"Aaaah, shad up!" Joey yawned, too tired to argue, "I'm going wit ya, simply cuz we do everything together. That, and it'll be worth it to catch rich-boy in his pajamas. What I don't get is why that ninja chick didn't take Slifer as well? Wouldn't this bad guy wanna have all three gods to use?"

Yugi didn't have an answer to that, though Tea offered an idea. "Maybe the Pharaoh interrupted her before she could snatch Slifer."

"We'll ask them when we catch them, won't we Yugi?" Tristan said.

"Thank guys," Yugi said, his spirits lifting, "I don't know what I'd do without you guys." He held up his hand. "Remember that friendship circle we drew a few years back?"

"Of course!" Tea and Tristan exclaimed simultaneously.

"The ink may have faded, but our bond never will," Joey said proudly, "Now let's go get rich-boy to track down your cards!"

At KaibaCorp

The guard didn't look very pleased to see them. "It's three in the morning, what do you punks want?" The gruff and irritated guard asked.

"We need to see Seto Kaiba now!" Yugi said, coming straight to the point.

"Make an appointment, he's sleeping," The guard grunted and began to close the doors.

"Yo!" Joey yelled, sticking his foot in the door, "We need rich-boy's help because we need to track down the Egyptian god cards."

"The Egyptian gods?" the guard asked, puzzlement written on his face, "Yugi Muto's got them. Find him, you find the cards. Now go to bed!"

"I am Yugi Muto!" Yugi said simply, "And someone has just stolen two of the three god cards. We need Kaiba to help track them down."

The guard sighed. "Alright, I'll let youse guys in. But if Kaiba says no, I'm throwing you out. Personally."

"I'd like ta see you try," Joey growled threateningly.

"Not now you idiot," Tea said, grabbing his ear, "We did come here at a time where most people are sleeping."

"I'm sure rich-boy pays people to sleep for him," Joey said with a hint of pain in his voice, "Now would ya let go already? OW!" The bickering continued as they were escorted to a waiting room and the guard disappeared into the elevator.

Yugi grinned despite the situation, sensing the Pharaoh stir. "Something the matter?"

"No," Yami said. "I'm just noting how lucky you are to have such great friends. I can't recall if I ever had such great friends like you, Yugi."

"Don't worry Pharaoh," Yugi said, "We'll get your memories back. Besides, you have friends now."

"Thanks Yugi," Yami said, "Now let's see if we can get Kaiba to help us." As if on cue, the elevator dinged, ending all discussion in the room.

"What do you dweebs want?" Seto Kaiba asked as he entered the room, fully dressed in his Battle City attire, his long white coat swirling about him dramatically.

"We need your help in tracking the Egyptian god cards," Yugi said politely.

"If you lost them in a duel, I can't help you," Kaiba answered. "And if you lost a duel to someone other than me-"

"Aaah, stuff it rich-boy" Joey interrupted, "Yugi didn't lose to nobody. They was stolen!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Nobody asked for your opinion, Wheeler."

"Nobody said I couldn't say my opinion either."

"Like any opinion a third-rate duelist could offer would be worthwhile."

"You wanna take this outside and fight like men, or are ya gonna pay someone else to do your dirty work?"

"I've already proven I'm the better duelist, why should I waste my time with an amateur like you?"

"If I'm such a lousy duelist, why'd I get Hermos during that battle against Dartz?"

"Every dog finds a bone every now and then." Kaiba turned away from the fuming Joey. "Yugi, it's bad enough that I have to put up with your pathetic friends every time we meet, why have you brought them here at three in the morning? I have a company to run, you know."

"I understand that Kaiba," Yugi said apologetically, "But we have to find those god cards quickly before something terrible happens."

"Spare me the mystic mumbo jumbo," Kaiba groaned, stifling a yawn, "I'll help you find your cards, only because I don't believe in such a dishonorable method of acquiring cards and whoever resorts to stealing needs to be punished."

"Awesome!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Ya know Kaiba," Joey began, startling everyone in the room by actually referring to the Kaibacorp executive by his name, "For a rich-boy, you ain't as bad as you try to be."

"I don't need everyone getting all mushy on me either," Kaiba snapped. "I'm only doing this because I will be the one to take the god cards from Yugi by defeating him in a duel, not some sleazy thief in the middle of the night. Follow me." Kaiba led the group down a corridor, up a flight of stairs, down another long corridor, which was the catalyst for Joey to start complaining "Just how big is this freakin place?" Finally, Kaiba opened a door and led the group inside to a room filled with computers. Various cards were scrolling across the screen, popping up in various places across the globe.

"This is where Kaibacorp tracks every single card that's played, to keep an eye out for phony cards," Kaiba explained, "You wouldn't believe how many fake Blue-Eyes people have tried to pass off as actual cards."

"So this can find the Egyptian god cards?" Yugi asked.

"If they use the cards in a duel, I can have a satellite on them in minutes," Kaiba answered with a hint of pride creeping into his voice. He sat down at the console and began typing in some algorithms.

"So you spy on good and bad duelists?" Tristan asked innocently.

"Only on cards of interest," Kaiba answered. "I don't care what other duelists do in their free time so long as they don't try to use fake cards."

"I think Kaiba's more worried someone might use his precious Blue-Eyes better than he does," Joey snickered.

"Wheeler, I can easily have your sorry carcass thrown out of the building," Kaiba threatened, "It's bad enough that all of you idiots have to come here at three in the morning, I do NOT want to put up with your mushy nonsense."

"Any luck finding the god cards?" Tea asked hurriedly before Joey could retaliate.

"The last time a god card was played was Slifer this morning by Yugi's house," Kaiba reported.

"That was the last duel before those fangirls swarmed me," Yugi commented, "I used Slifer to defeat his Summoned Skull."

"I'll set the computer to monitor any sign of the Egyptian god cards. If your thieves use them, we'll know," Kaiba said, "I'll inform Yugi when that happens. Until then, please leave my building and let me get some sleep."

"You mean you can't just pay someone to sleep for you?" Joey teased. Kaiba's retort was lost in the sudden high-pitched roar that echoed weirdly throughout the room.

"What was that?" Tristan asked.

"I'm not sure I want to find out," Yugi said quietly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see the Pharaoh staring at him.

"I don't sense any darkness from this yet," Yami said, "In fact, I'm getting a very good feeling from this."

"It's not trying to trick you, is it?" Yugi asked.

"No, but it is fast approaching," Yami warned.

"Where-" was all Yugi managed to get out before he and Kaiba were swallowed by a shining red light that filled the room.

"What's this?" Tea shouted.

"I don't know!" Tristan asked. Joey peeked through his arms to see a crimson colored dragon twisting and making its way out the room before disappearing with another flash of light.

Joey glanced around the room. "Guys, Yugi and rich-boy just got taken by a red lizard thing." The red light filled the room again, and this time the dragon stopped directly in front of Joey.

"I AM NOT A RED LIZARD THING!" a draconic voice emanated within their heads, "I AM THE CRIMSON DRAGON!"

Joey, as usual, had some fight in him. "Well, if you're gonna take Yugi, ya might as well take me too."

"YOU WILL BE NEEDED HERE, FIGHTING THE FORCES OF DARKNESS FOR AS LONG AS I NEED THESE TWO," the Crimson Dragon said," NOW I MUST GO, IF THE POWERS OF CHAOS ARE TO BE STOPPED IN TIME." With that, the dragon disappeared, ignoring Joey's shouts and Tea's worried cry "YUGI!"


	2. Domino City Where or When are We?

**So, here we are in New Domino City, where Yugi and Kaiba are met by another Duelist. But it's not going to be who you think it is. Without further ado, here's chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2: Domino City? Where, or When Are We?**

Dani Aoimoku was in a sour mood. She had been on a losing streak of sorts and had just lost again to her rival in rather embarrassing fashion. She had stormed out in a rage after his Colossal Fighter had wiped out the rest of her Life Points and was still fuming as she made her way down the streetlamp lit streets of Satellite. She pulled out her deck and sighed, looking at her favorite card.

"I've always felt like we were meant to be together," Dani said to the card, "especially when Mom gave me you and your three companions when I began dueling all those years ago. I've built a deck that centers on you four. I even found a Synchro monster that compliments you perfectly. Why can't I win? I haven't won in a week!" Dani continued walking down an alley towards her favorite place, a place she always went when she needed to brood. She was a pretty girl in her own right. She didn't have the voluptuous curves of a model, but she wasn't a stick either. Dani took pride in being a nice happy medium between the two classifications of beauty. She wore blue skinny jeans and a silver tank top, coupled with an azure denim jacket cut off at the elbows and black calf-high boots. "Ever since that weird incident where everyone disappeared into black mist and a weird bird appeared in New Domino City a couple of months ago, I haven't been able to get any resemblance of a winning streak going. Was it a sign? Am I not meant to wield three of the most fearsome dragons ever known in Duel monsters?" Her bright blue eyes lost most of their anger and instead filled with tears. She looked at the blue and silver themed Duel Disk on her left arm and some of her brown hair, the last two inches dyed silver when she really wanted to get connected to her cards, slipped free and partially covered her face. Dani returned her favorite card to her deck and tied her hair back in her favorite ponytail, which ended at the middle of her back. A tear trailed down her cheek, smearing the silver eyeliner she was so fond of. "Let me get one more sign: do I continue my dueling career or do I give up and hope my future children use my cards better than I can?" As if on cue, the roar of the Crimson Dragon echoed throughout Satellite, startling everyone in the vicinity and alerting five very important duelists bearing the mark of the dragon. Dani watched the Crimson Dragon fly off into the distance, unaware of the yelps of surprise from two very special duelists falling out of the sky until they landed on top of the unfortunate female, flattening her immediately.

"Yugi, explain to me what just happened?" Seto Kaiba demanded as he picked himself up off of Dani's legs.

"I could ask you boys the same thing," Dani snapped, startling Yugi out of his daze. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"I, uh, sorry about that," Yugi apologized, hurriedly climbing off of the unlucky duelist.

"I'll forgive you," Dani began, then an idea popped into her head, "But only if you Duel me."

"What?"

"I said Duel me!" Dani demanded, "Don't think I didn't notice your Duel Disk jab me in the back when you two idiots landed on me. You owe me a Duel after nearly making me a paraplegic."

"Don't waste your time with her," Kaiba snarled, "We need to get back to Kaibacorp and figure out what just happened."

Dani laughed. "You can't just waltz into New Domino City after dark from the Satellite, the Securities would have your ass in lockdown in seconds." As the two of them bickered, Yugi sensed Yami again.

"I thought you said that presence you felt was a good presence," Yugi said accusingly.

"And I did," Yami answered calmly, "I sensed no malice from that dragon as it carried us through time."

"Through time?!" Yugi repeated, shocked, "How much time?"

"I cannot say," Yami answered, "But I think we can get answers from this woman. Let's accept her challenge and make a little wager on the side, to get some answers."

"Right," Yugi said to Yami, then turned his attention to the two arguing duelists, where Dani seemed to be accusing Kaiba of being a fraud. "I'll Duel you."

"What?!" Came the simultaneous reply.

"I'll duel you," Yugi answered calmly, stepping forward, "Are you ready?" He held up his arm, Duel Disk glowing at the ready.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere," Dani muttered, "Yeah, let's do this!"

"Yugi, there's no need to waste our time with this girl," Kaiba argued.

"Kaiba, we need answers and I think she's the one who can get us the answers we need right now," Yugi countered, "This won't take long." As he stepped forward, the Eye of Wdjat began to glow on his forehead, something unnoticed by both Kaiba and Dani as they both took up their positions for the duel; Kaiba sitting on some nearby rubble and Dani about 10 yards apart from Yugi, who had finished the transformation into Yami Yugi.

"Are you ready for this?" Dani asked, "I'm not holding back just because you guys aren't from around here!"

Yami simply nodded. "I wouldn't want it any other way. It's time to Duel!"

Yugi: 4000 LP Dani: 4000 LP

"I'll start things off," Dani announced, drawing 1 card to add to the five in her hand, "And I'll begin by summoning the Maiden with Eyes of Blue in attack mode!"

Maiden with Eyes of Blue: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1

A woman with piercing blue eyes, long silver hair, and a brown dress appeared on the field, arms open as if inviting a hug.

"Why would she summon a monster with no attack points in attack mode?" Yugi asked, perplexed.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Dani said. "Your move."

"She's probably relying on that face-down," Yami thought to Yugi, "But she's probably bluffing, hoping I'll be too scared of that face-down to attack." Out loud, he said "I draw!" He looked at his hand, then directed his fierce gaze towards Dani. She returned the gaze, a look of confusion passing her features momentarily.

'I could've sworn he was shorter' she thought to herself, "And he seems so much more sure of himself now. Maybe he's just like that when he's dueling.'

"What say you we make this Duel a little more interesting," Yami suggested, to which Dani narrowed her eyes in response.

"What do you mean?" she asked, on her guard.

"Nothing much," Yami answered disarmingly, "But if I win, you'll answer my questions."

"And what do I get if I win?"

"You'll have a servant for the day as recompense for falling on you."

Dani grinned. "I don't have much need for a servant, but I'll accept your odds. I need to tidy up the hideout anyways."

"So you agree to our wager."

"Sure, if that means a more entertaining Duel."

Yami smiled. It was the smile of a predatory wolf observing a helpless deer. "Well, in that case, I'll summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!"

A magician with white robes and blue armor appeared on Yugi's side of the field.

Skill Dark Magician; Atk 1900, Def 1700, LV 4

"Facedown card or not," Yami stated, "You've left yourself wide open for an attack. Now attack, Skilled Dark Magician, with Dark Magic Burst!" The Spellcaster waved his staff, creating several dark orbs of magical energy and with another wave sent them flying towards the Maiden.

Dani smiled. "I activate my Maiden's special ability! Once per turn, I can negate an attack and switch the battle position of Maiden." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue began singing a melody, a melody that tugged at the heartstrings and left a tingling feeling in one's chest, particularly Kaiba's. The dark magic dissipated as it reached the Maiden, who knelt down in a prayer position in defense mode. "Next, my Maiden's ability allows me to summon a very powerful monster straight from my deck!" A bright light appeared behind her as she began chanting "It is here where the legend that surpasses time reawakens! Be amazed by its immortal place in history! The very soul of Seto Kaiba himself! I special summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" As the dragon of legend appeared onto the field, Kaiba leapt up from his seat in shock.

"Blue Eyes?" Yami said in shock.

"That's impossible!" Kaiba yelled, "There are only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world and I have all three!"

"Ha, that's what you think!" Dani countered, "Octavian Pegasus released five more Blue Eyes cards into the Duel monsters game in order to honor Seto Kaiba's passing, after burying the original three with him. So don't you dare accuse me of using fake cards, as Duel Disks were all programed to reject fake cards!"

"Kaiba's…. death" Seto repeated slowly.

"Yeah, people get old, they die of old age and pass on companies to the next generation," Dani said nonchalantly, "Or in my family's case, they pass on cards they find valuable and I was the lucky girl to inherit three Blue Eyes from my mother shortly before she died thanks to Ener-D radiation poisoning." Her left fist clenched tightly. "That's why I know you're a fake. Seto Kaiba died nearly sixty years ago!" A stunned silence fell over the dueling field, broken only by the growl of the dragon.

"Just how far into the future did we go?" Yami asked, more to himself than anyone else. Kaiba sat back down in his rubble "chair", stunned by this revelation

"We're in the future," he said to himself, then glared at Yugi, "I want answers Yugi, NOW!"

"And I'm trying to get answers," Yami said back, refocusing on the Duel. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn." As the cards appeared in the Spell/Trap zone, it was Dani's turn to smile a predatory smile.

"I warned you I wasn't messing around," she said, "Draw!" She looked at her 4 cards, then back to the field. "I'll attack your Skilled Dark Magician with my Blue Eyes! White Lightning attack!" Kaiba looked at the fierceness on Dani's face, then looked to the dragon on the field.

'Who is this girl?' he thought to himself, 'she looks a lot like that woman she summoned.' As the dragon gathered energy in his mouth, Yami pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Trap, Spellbinding Circle!" he announced, as said Trap opened on the field, "And due to this Trap, I can prevent one monster on the field from attacking and switching positions." The complex seal bound itself to Blue Eyes, sapping all the energy from the attack and leaving it chained, metaphorically.

"Not bad," Dani admitted, "I'll end the Battle Phase and Tune Maiden with Eyes of Blue with my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The Maiden leapt up into the air, transforming into a star that expanded into a silver ring. That ring surrounded Blue Eyes, who dematerialized into eight silver stars. "Shadow of a blinding light, shining just as brightly as a star itself!" Dani chanted, "White turns to silver and blue turns to azure, both blinding in their magnificence! Rise up and let your light rise with you! I Synchro Summon the Azure-Eyes Sliver Dragon!" The dragon that appeared looked a lot like Blue Eyes, except it shone with brilliant silver scales and its eyes were a lighter shade of blue.

Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon; Atk 2500, Def 3000, LV 9

"Synchro what?" Yami asked, puzzlement written all over his features.

Kaiba didn't think anything else could surprise him, but when the Azure-Eyes was summoned, he was floored again. "Another version of Blue-Eyes?" he muttered, "It came from the Extra Deck, but it isn't a Fusion monster. What is this new type of summon?"

"I place another card face-down and end my turn," Dani said.

Yami looked at the new dragon for a few seconds longer; drawing a growl from the fearsome beast, then drew his card. "I activate the Spell card Change of Heart! With it, I'm allowed to take control of one of your monsters until the end of this turn, and the only monster you have is the Azure-Eyes!"

"That won't work, thanks to my dragon's special ability," Dani countered, "until the end of this turn; my dragon can't be targeted by Spells, Traps, or effects. This only happened when it gets summoned, but it's a useful ability nonetheless." The aura from the spell card hit a mystical energy that had surrounded the silver dragon and dissipated.

Yami let out a little growl. "Maybe, but my Skilled Dark Magician also has a special ability. It gains a Spell Counter every time a spell is activated. So there's one!" A small glowing light appeared behind the Spellcaster. "Next, I activate the Spell Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards! There's two!" As he drew, Yami studied his hand. "Next, I activate Card Destruction! Now we must both discard our hands and draw cards until we both have the same number of cards we had before." As both players discarded and drew new cards, Yami two and Dani three, a third light appeared behind the Skilled Dark Magician. "And since I now have three Spell Counters on my Skilled Dark Magician, I'm allowed to sacrifice him in order to special summon Dark Magician from my deck! So take to the field Dark Magician!" The purple robed Spellcaster appeared out of the smoke created when the three Spell Counters exploded, destroying the Skilled Dark Magician.

Dark Magician; Atk 2500, Def 2100, LV 7

Dani's smile faltered. "That card! That card hasn't been played in years! According to the history books, that was Yugi Muto's ace! Just who are you?"

"You will soon find out," Yami answered, "I play the Spell Magic Formula! By equipping this card to Dark Magician, it gains 700 Attack points!"

Dark Magician 3200 Atk

"No!" Dani gasped.

"Yes!" Yami said, "Next, I play the trap, Dust Tornado! With this, I'm allowed to destroy a facedown card of your and set another card on my side!" A miniature twister appeared and obliterated Dani's facedown card. "Now, attack Dark Magician! Mystic Scepter Blast!" The ultimate spellcaster in terms of attack and defense spun his staff a couple of times before unleashing a large dark orb of energy at Azure Eyes. The dragon roared in agony as the darkness consumed it, leaving nothing behind.

"Azure Eyes!" Dani cried as her Life Points dropped.

Dani LP: 3300

"I end my turn," Yami announced, his face a fierce mask of determination.

"We got this!" Yugi said confidently, unheard by everyone but Yami, who smiled.

"This is it," Dani said to herself, "I have to draw the right card." Slowly, she pulled out the card from the top of her deck, her eyes closed in fear. She opened one eye and looked at the card. A bright smile appeared on Dani's face as she surveyed the card! "Yes!"

"That doesn't sound promising," Yugi commented.

"I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave!" Dani began as a blue dragon appeared in front of her. It promptly yawned and laid down in defense mode.

The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave; Atk 1300, Def 2000, LV 4

"Next, I will banish my Dragon to special summon another powerful dragon directly from my hand!" Dani continued as her dragon faded from sight, creating an orb of darkness that grew in size and became pitch black with streaks of red. "I special summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" The dark dragon unfurled its wings and let out a roar to announce his presence.

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon: Atk 2800, Def 2400, LV 10

"But Dark Magician is stronger than that dragon," Yugi said, "Why-"

"She's not done," Yami admonished, "Listen."

"Now I activate my Red-Eyes special ability, an ability that lets me summon a Dragon type from my hand or graveyard. And I think you know what dragon I'm calling back. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Red-Eyes unleash an inferno that spiraled next to it. Out of the flames sprang Blue-Eyes with a roar. "Now I use the spell card Burst Stream of Destruction!" Dani yelled, "This lets me destroy all monsters on your side of the field when I have Blue-Eyes out. Go Blue-Eyes! Take out his Dark Magician!" The white dragon roared and fired a powerful white stream of energy at the Dark Magician, who could do nothing to stop his destruction.

"I may have lost my magician," Yami said when the smoke cleared, "But Magic Formula has a second effect; when it's destroyed, I gain 1000 Life Points"

Yugi LP: 5000

"That's pretty handy," Dani commented, "And you're going to need every life point you can get! Go Red-Eyes! Attack his Life Points directly!" The metallic dragon unleashed a dark red flame that sped across the field and washed over Yugi, the holographic images not actually hurting him

Yugi LP: 2200

"You're lucky Blue Eyes isn't able to attack," Dani continued, "I end my turn. Let's see you counter this!"

Yugi placed his spiritual hand on the deck before Yami drew. "Let's draw this one together."

Yami smiled. "Draw!" He looked at the card and that wolfish grin reappeared. "I play Monster Reborn to wake up Dark Magician from the grave!" Wish a flash of dark energy, the famous Dark Magician was back on the field. "I next activate Polymerization to fuse Dark Magician with Buster Blader in my hand to fusion summon Dark Paladin!" The orange and purple fusion monster materialized from the swirl that engulfed Yugi's two monsters and took its place on the field

Dark Paladin: Atk 2900, Def 2400 LV 8

"Anything but that card!" Dani cried, knowing her deck's weakness all too well.

"That's right!" Yami said, "and by my count, you have seven dragons either on the field or laid to rest. That's an additional 3500 attack points for my Paladin!"

Dark Paladin: Atk 6400

"No way…" Dani whispered, dread clutching her chest.

"Now attack! Dark Dragon Downfall!" Yami yelled. Dark Paladin raised his staff and slammed it down, sending a burst of dark energy towards Red-Eyes and shattering the dragon. The rest of the blast continued through to Dani, knocking her on her backside and reducing her Life Points to 0.

"I lost…" She said to herself, "Yet why is it that I had such a good time?" She was startled to see Yami standing over her, hand extended.

"You have the potential to become a great duelist," he said, purple eyes boring into blue, "But you need to learn to trust yourself as much as you trust your deck. I could see it as we dueled; you lack the confidence in yourself needed to use Blue-Eyes to its fullest potential. Believe in yourself as much as you believe in the heart of your cards and you can rise up to your fullest potential."

Tears sprang to Dani's eyes as she took Yami's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She startled the King of Games by hugging him tightly. "Thank you," Dani whispered into his ear, choking back tears. "I needed to hear those words. I just didn't know I needed to hear them." Unbeknownst to her, Yami allowed Yugi to take control again.

"It's alright," Yugi said, patting her awkwardly on the back, which drew a strangled sob from the female Blue-Eyes duelist. He looked at Kaiba, who was striding towards them with an unreadable expression on his face. "Kaiba, this isn't-"

"Yes it is, Yugi," Kaiba interrupted, then turned his attention to Dani. "Stop crying, a true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon would never cry after one little loss."

"Piss off," Dani shot back at him, catching both duelists off guard, "I'm not crying because of the Duel. I just had an epiphany here."

"Spare me the mushy girl talk," Kaiba groaned, but before he could get any further, he found himself gasping for air, as Dani had let go of Yugi and punched the Kaibacorp executive right in the solar plexus.

"You'll get more flies with honey than with vinegar," she said simply, ignoring the silver-stained tear tracks that carved its way down her cheeks, then turned to Yugi. "You said you had questions?" When Yugi nodded, she continued, "I'll try to answer them as best as I can. First, let's get back to my little hideout. Satellite can be dangerous after dark."

**Yes, I added an OC, she's going to play a decent sized part of the story, but Dani isn't going to become the focus of the story. It's still centered around Yugi and Yusei. I'll accept OC's based on the following criteria; they don't share any signature cards with any main characters, they aren't replicas of the enemy duelists I will be introducing in the next chapter, and they aren't related to any of the main characters, so no long-lost sister of Yusei or anything like that. R & Rs are greatly appreciated, as I know I have a long ways to go in perfecting my craft.**

**Note: I'd greatly appreciate it if someone could draw my OC, as my art skills are lousy. If someone with the time and the skills would be willing, I'd owe you big time. Say, a free story or something. Thanks in advance!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go, chapter 3, where Dani has briefed our two heroes on what has happened over the years that Yugi and Kaiba skipped over, Yusei finally makes an appearance, and we finally meet the rest of the bad guys. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: The Seeds of Chaos are Sown**

"That's un-friggan-believable!" Dani exclaimed as she leaned back in her bean bag chair, one of the few commodities she had in her little hide-out. She and Yugi had exchanged stories about how they had met up, with Dani explaining what had happened in the one hundred and fifty years since the first Battle Bity tournament and Yugi explaining how he and Kaiba ended up falling out of the sky on top of her. "And yet, it makes sense."

"So you believe us then?" Yugi asked, shifting a little in the lawn-chair Dani had scavenged.

"As hard as it is to believe that two legendary duelists would just fall out of the sky," Dani said, "But after the dark mist incident, I guess this doesn't seem too far-fetched. Still, why would the Crimson Dragon bring you here? You guys don't even know how to Synchro Summon!"

Kaiba glared at her. "When you've traveled a hundred and fifty years into the future, you're going to run into some new duel strategies and new cards are being made every year, of course a new type of monster was going to arise eventually."

"History was kind to you," Dani shot back, "They never mentioned how much of a jerk you are."

"And what does history say about me?" Kaiba asked, "And why didn't Mokuba or anyone else stop Pegasus from creating new Blue-Eyes cards?"

"How should I know why you rich boys do what you do?" Dani shrugged (Kaiba rolled his eyes at the rich boy label). "All I know is my grandmother and her friends managed to grab three of them in duels and she passed them on to my mother who gave them, plus the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, to me before she died and left me on my own. Still, I must admit, to meet the original Blue Eyes Duelist is pretty special, especially since you're the only one to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. There were also rumors about a Blue-Eyes that was even more powerful than the Ultimate. Is that true?" She finished her question with a pleading look.

Kaiba held her gaze, not saying a word. 'Her eyes,' he thought, 'They're the same color as my dragon's eyes. Perhaps…' He held up a card, comparing Dani to his favorite card.

"Is that?" Dani asked hopefully.

"It's the original Blue-Eyes," Kaiba stated, flipping it around. "Be thankful I'm showing it to you. As for that secret rare card you mentioned, I only use it when I have to. The only time you'll ever get to see it is if someone pushes me to my absolute limit, and only Yugi has done that."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Dani said, holding up two cards, her Blue-Eyes and Azure-Eyes. Kaiba did study them intently, noting the different artwork on the Blue-Eyes cards compared to his. The Azure-Eyes card, he gave a long, hard look before turning away.

"No."

"Jerk." An argument would have broken out had Yugi not yawned loudly.

"Do you have any spare beds?" he asked wearily.

"What you see is what I've got," Dani answered, "You can have the cot, Kaiba can take the sleeping bag over in the corner there."

"What about you?" Yugi continued, concern showing, "It's your home, I don't want you to give up your bed for us."

Dani simply chuckled. "I'll be fine here on the bean bag chair. You'd be surprised how many times I've slept in it after a long day of surviving Satellite. Granted, life's been easier since they finally built the bridge connecting New Domino City, but the bean bag is comfy enough if you bring me that blanket." She smiled at him as she snuggled down into the chair, "If you need midnight snacks, the fridge is over there." Her thoughts turned inwards. 'Maybe this is the sign I was looking for. When I asked for a sign, I was expecting something more subtle, but having the first Blue-Eyes duelist and the King of Games crashing in MY hideout will do just fine for a sign.' She looked over at Yugi as he brought her the requested blanket. 'Ever since the Crimson Dragon appeared at the Fortune Cup, things have gotten weird around here, especially since it seems I was the only one not taken by the black mist nor those crazy giant monsters that appeared with their soul sucking hearts.' Dani curled up under the blanket as she began to doze off. 'Maybe Kisara was protecting me, preparing me for what's about to happen. I just hope it isn't anything too serious.' Her bright blue eyes drifted shut with the thoughts of crazy adventures swirling about her head.

Yugi was surprisingly calm given the sudden turn of events. Here he was, 150 years into the future and regarded as a legend! Not many people get to experience that! However, his dream from the previous night haunted him. Did this Crimson Dragon bring him and Kaiba here to stop that masked man? If so, where was he? Yugi, exhausted by the events of the night, fell asleep, a look of worry on his face as he thought about what the future might hold.

Kaiba, in the meantime, was wide awake, replaying the earlier Duel in his mind, watching Dani summon the legendary dragon with that Maiden. His mind was alight with new ideas that Synchro Summoning could do for his game, if he only knew how. His thought turned to the Azure-Eyes dragon, how it seemed similar to his Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. That card, he did keep after the whole Pyramid of Light fiasco and he'd only had to call upon its immense power twice since then. He had a gut feeling that the Shining Dragon was going to make a few more appearances in the near future. And speaking of the future, how were they to get back to their time? Kaiba hated the fact that he was now "outdated", although he took a smug feeling from the fact that this mystical Crimson Dragon had brought him here to do something. The Kaibacorp executive resolved to crush any obstacle in his path that would him and Yugi from getting back to their time.

New Domino City

Yusei Fudo sat up in shock as his arm burned, the credits on the screen of the cheesy movie he and Akiza Izinski had been watching. They had simply enjoyed time together at Akiza's house in New Domino City, the movie mostly ignored, and as the movie ran on, their eyelids dropped until they had fallen asleep snuggling on the couch. Their nap didn't last long as the marks inscribed on their arm burned with a white-hot intensity, an intensity not felt since the Dark Signer incident. Akiza was rudely awakened by her mark as well, yelping in shock at the sudden pain. Yusei narrowed his eyes when he heard a crash from outside.

"Yusei, what's going on?" Akiza asked sleepily, picking herself up off the couch as Yusei stood up.

"Hold on a second," Yusei answered, striding over to the window, opening it, and peeking out to see Jack Atlas, Crow Hogan, and a camera sprawled out on the ground. "Spying on us guys?"

"When you said you were going to hang out with Akiza," Jack began, groaning as he sat up, "We were wondering if you were actually going to work up the courage to ask her out."

"Or maybe catch some other stuff as well," Crow snickered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I just didn't expect my arm to start burning like that."

"So a little jab of pain causes the great Blackwing duelist to lose his balance?" Jack said accusingly.

"I can still ride circles around your sorry Duel Runner," Crow countered, "I don't have to have the best balance on land to be a great Turbo Duelist."

"But you two will need a head start if you're going to escape my wrath," Akiza warned, appearing in the window next to Yusei, "Just let me get my Duel Disk and I'll show you what happens when two idiots decide to spy on me."

"Not now Akiza," Yusei said grabbing her arm before the Psychic Duelist could carry out her threat, "Since we're mostly gathered together already, with the exception of Luna, we might as well figure out a course of action." When there were no arguments forthcoming, Yusei released Akiza's arm and made to go open the door for the other two Signers. When he opened the door, however, a loud roar made everyone pause.

"It's coming from Satellite!" Jack exclaimed, "Look!" Everyone turned just in time to see the Crimson Dragon spread its wings over the slums, uttering another roar before fading from sight.

"So that's why our marks started burning," Akiza mused.

"I think I know what we're gonna do tomorrow," Crow said simply.

"We're going to Satellite," Yusei finished dramatically, still looking at where the Crimson Dragon last appeared

B.A.D. Area in Satellite

It was a strange gathering of people, or so it would appear to an outsider. There was a blonde woman wearing bright clothes and a white cloak swirling about her standing next to a middle-aged man who looked almost like he climbed out of the grave; he wore tattered clothes that might have once been used at a formal occasion, but now they looked better suited for the trash heap. Two young men were dressed as warriors, though one was dressed in an icy blue armor while the other wore a simple black samurai bushido outfit. Another woman stood off to the side, glasses giving her a bug-eyed look as she chased after a couple of intriguing insects, a man in black biker clothes shaking his head in amusement as his red eyes followed her. Kuno Ichi was lurking in the shadows, head still buzzing a little from the Mind Crush, but sharp eyes still taking every detail in. She observed a man in purple robes having a good-natured argument with a man similarly dressed in draconic colored green and blue robes. Another man stood in the center, attire similar to a Roman gladiator as he strutted around. The last of the Duelists, also the eldest, was a man dressed in a futuristic gray outfit. The part that stood out the most was his mechanical eye and leg, though the gauntlet encasing his right arm was also an eye-catcher. Guards wearing dark robes and skull masks were placed at various posts around the room, which was in surprisingly good shape considering where it was located, as was the rest of the building. It was an unusual gathering, to the average person, but when one takes a closer look, it was the beginning of something much more sinister. This was the amphitheater of the Chaos Movement's headquarters, where they had been slowly gathering their forces for years. Only the Arcadia Movement had even heard on them and only the Dark Signers had actually clashed with them, only for their Duelists to slink away into the twilight. The stage where their leader gave speeches was raised and everyone else was gathered around, waiting. A gentle murmur echoed around the room with small conversations. These were soon hushed by the sound of gears turning as smoke gushed from the stage. A couple of automated spotlights lit up and in absolute silence the small crowd below watched as the shadow of a man rose up and with arms outstretched waited for the smoke to clear. He didn't have long to wait, and the smoke cleared to reveal his eccentric attire; dark purple tuxedo pants combined with a bright gold jacket. The undershirt was the usual white, but again the tie he wore was different: the colors of twilight swirled about in a hypnotic pattern, the optical illusion easy to get lost in if one stared at it for too long. This man was simply known as "The Master".

"Good evening my minions!" he yelled, his voice eerily reminiscent of another famous villain, "And welcome to the first night of our conquest!" He held his hand up to his ear and received a polite applause. "Now, let's take roll call. Ah, who am I kidding, I can see everyone's here. Even Tim! And he usually sleeps through these! But I took care of that!" A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh yes I did. Tim won't be sleeping through any more meetings. He won't be very lively either. But I don't think Hueso, our resident Undead Lord minds having another body to play with. Have a look!" The Master shined a spotlight over in one of the corners, revealing a dead man with his eyes pinned open, earning a couple of gasps from the crowd. The man in the tattered clothes, Hueso, grinned and rubbed his clammy hands together. The Master moved the light away just as quickly and resumed his monologue.

"Now, I didn't gather everyone here to gawk at Tim. And yes, I've heard the news. The Crimson Dragon did make an appearance tonight. He's probably mad because I have managed to swipe two very important cards with the help of my dear Kuno, who, as usual, loves to lurk in the shadows. Come on out my pretty; enjoy your moment in the spotlight!" He shone the light right onto the ninja, who froze for a second, eyes blinking at the sudden light before she gave a shy wave and slunk back behind another pillar. "Well, at least she waved," The Master grumbled, "Now, I'm sure you're wondering what these very important cards are that would bring about the attention of the almighty Crimson Dragon."

"Boooooo!" yelled the young man in black samurai armor. He had lived the life of a warrior for his entire life, as his name was Alex Bushido, the sixth generation in the Bushido family to wield his family's cards, and the third to wield the legendary samurai.

The Master adopted a bored look. "Yes, yes, I know, we hate the Crimson Dragon. That lizard has slowed down our operations, and more specifically annoyed the heck out of me, BUT! Thanks to my brilliant mind and Kuno's brilliant ninja-ness, I have come across and acquired these two cards!" He pressed a button and pulled up a Duel Monsters Holo-projector. "Have a good look at them; The Winged Dragon of Ra!" As the Egyptian god formed from the projector, exclamations could be heard all throughout the chamber while Ra unfolded itself from its orb form and uttered a roar. Only Kuno and the red-eyed Duelist remained silent, looking on in awe.

"And for my next trick," giggled the Master, "I'll show you his companion, Obelisk the Tormentor!" As the blue demon arose, the very foundations of the building shook from the raw power of the Egyptian god cards. "With the gods on our side, we'll be INVINCIBLE!" As he took the cards off the holo-projector, one of his minions, the man with the mechanical eye, raised his hand.

"It would seem someone has a question. Fire away Matthias!"

The man spoke in a deep commanding tone that automatically gave away both his age and the aura of power. "Master, were there not three Egyptian god cards made? By combining the three gods together, one could gain infinite strength and win almost any duel with ease. Could you not find the third, Slifer?"

"Ah, yes, Matthias, Matthias, Matthias," the Master said, shaking his head. "We don't need all three cards. Obelisk and Ra will cause enough chaos on their own, I can guarantee that!" He began walking to the edge of the stage where a lift was ready to take him down. As he descended, the Master continued. "Besides, I didn't want to break little Yugi's heart that much. Give him a false sense of hope, only to ruthlessly CRUSH IT! He certainly gave my little ninja a nasty headache; it's only fair he suffer for it."

"Yugi?" asked the blonde woman, her yellow shirt and white pants bright in the spotlight, "As in the first King of Games?"

"Yep," The Master said nonchalantly, "That Yugi. Allana, you should be familiar with him, as someone who studies light so much, you should know a light side person when you see him. When you've got a ride like mine, a lot of things are possible, especially when you combine my genius with Matthias' here, that man is a genius at machines! Just remember, Matthias, take it slow when replacing the rest of your body with robot parts, in about 20 years, you'll be oiling your joints in no time! Haha!" The corner of Matthias' mouth twitched at the bad joke.

"I'll keep it in mind," he said simply.

"Any more stupid questions?" the Master asked with a dangerous glint in his eye. When there was none forthcoming, he smiled and the glint disappeared. "Good! Now that that's out of the way, it's time for the next phase in our conquest of Earth!" The Master pulled out a remote and activated a screen showing 5 familiar Duelists, each with the mark of the Dragon.

"These are your targets," The Master said, "And don't be fooled by their looks, they're a dangerous bunch."

The man with the red eyes stared at his targets intently, as if memorizing every detail. "You're telling us to take out the former Turbo King, the current Turbo King, the Black Rose Witch, The Black-Winged Champion of Satellite, and a girl who can go to the Spirit World?"

"Precisely Thomas!" The Master said, whirling about. "I want them gone, otherwise they could foil our glorious plan for paradise!"

"It ain't gonna be easy," the man in the purple robes commented dryly.

"Oh yes, LJ, I never said taking down the chosen ones of the Crimson Dragon was going to be easy," the Master replied, smiling, "But think of the fun!" The maniacal laughter that followed sent chills down everyone's spine and effectively ended the meeting, setting a diabolical plan into motion, the likes of which the world had never seen before.

**So, chapter 3, where we finally meet all the enemy duelists, including the Master, who is a combination of two major villains from two very popular franchises. The first one is obvious, but bonus points to those who guess the other villain. Please R & R; I'd love criticism, not flames. I'm always looking to improve.**


	4. Chapter 4 First Encounters of Many Kinds

**Alrighty guys, here's chapter four of my Yu-gi-oh crossover. Here we see several wheels beginning to turn, connecting people's fates to one another. I've been enjoying trying to capture the various personalities of each characters, both canon and non-canon. And before we move on, I realize I should put in the disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!**

**Chapter 4: First Encounters of Many Kinds**

Dani awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee, a smell she hadn't smelled in quite a while. She groaned a little as she stretched out from her comfy position and opened her eyes. "Who found the coffee maker?"

"Kaiba," Yugi said simply from the makeshift table, munching on an apple.

Dani finally found the energy to sit up. "I gotta admit, it's not a bad way to wake up, but I'm more of a tea drinker myself." Raising her voice, she addressed Kaiba "I hope you left some hot water for me."

"I would have if your coffee selection wasn't horrible. I would have thought as a Blue-Eyes Duelist, you'd have the signature White Dragon Coffee blend," Kaiba said, taking a sip from the mug and pulling a face.

"Well excuuuuuse me! I'm sorry I can't afford the rich-boy coffee brands," Dani snapped, good mood now gone, "We can't all have millions of dollars to waste on luxurious coffee brands."

"I don't spend millions of dollars on coffee," Kaiba snapped back.

"Just how much do you spend then?"

Kaiba actually paused to think about it for a moment, his frown deepening as he did some mental calculations. "More than you can afford, it seems."

"Piss off!" Dani retorted, walking over to her mirror hanging over the nearby sink and examining herself, pulling out a footstool from underneath and sitting down.

"She certainly is a fiery one," Yami commented dryly, unheard by everyone but Yugi, who responded with an incredulous look.

"You don't say," he thought back, causing Yami to grin. He finished his apple and began fixing himself up for the day. Kaiba reluctantly finished his mug and grabbed a couple of protein bars Dani had stashed in the cupboard and began munching on those, sharp blue eyes never leaving Dani as she began to make herself presentable.

"It's not often I get visitors," she commented as she reached for her brush. "But could you guys please give a girl her privacy?" Kaiba responded by turning around and staring out the window. Yugi, of course, took the gentlemanly route and left the hideout, not straying far from the entrance, but still taking in the sights of Satellite. Dani began brushing her hair, grunting occasionally as she fought a knot or three. Her bright blue eyes noticed Kaiba still in the room. "If you're expecting a show, be prepared to get disappointed."

"Very funny," Kaiba said.

"So do you make fun of all poor people you meet, or just one's who try and help you?" Kaiba growled at that, which prompted Dani to continue. "Ooo, very scary, going feral on me?"

"Just you wait 'til I get to Kaibacorp," Seto threatened.

"And what exactly do you plan to do once you get there?" Dani asked, turning to face Kaiba, but still methodically brushing her hair. "Try to take over? Use your money to buy yourself a cup of coffee. Let me tell you something Kaiba, you ain't in Kansas anymore! Nobody gives a damn about you now, cuz you're dead! So get off your high horse and learn to treat people with respect for once! I didn't know what to expect if I were ever to meet the first Blue-Eyes duelist, but I certainly didn't expect this!"

"What would you have me do then?" Kaiba asked, returning Dani's glare with equal, if not fiercer intensity.

"Lose your damn pride for once and show some humility!"

"You know nothing of pride," Kaiba said, voice deadly calm, "You don't know what it's like to have everything torn away from you, to be utterly humiliated time and time again. When I lost to Yugi for the first time, I lost my title, my company, and almost lost my life. I was Seto Kaiba, adopted son of Gozaburo Kaiba, and he was nothing but a joke! Yet I have seen him surpass me, my destiny thrown to the wayside. He even saved my life as if I were a helpless child. He has stolen my pride and crushed it, defeating me at my own tournament. My pride was the only thing that kept me alive during my ordeals. So don't lecture me about pride. My pride has been broken once and I will NEVER allow that to happen again. Got it?" Dani and Kaiba held each other's gazes for a moment longer, trying to find some form of weakness to exploit in the other's glare.

"Please, leave," Dani said slowly, finally finished with brushing.

"And if I don't?"

"You'll see a side of me that you WON'T want to see."

"I'm the president of a major corporation. I see stuff like that every day."

Dani turned to face the mirror, examining the tear streaks she hadn't bothered to clean off the day before. "No wonder you stayed single your entire life, you have no idea how to treat a woman."

"Then who inherited my company?"

"Mokuba took over after you retired, after that, I don't know, nor do I care. Now get out!" Kaiba merely grunted and finally left, mulling over what Dani had told him. "Finally!" Dani muttered, focusing on her face. She realized she actually looked fiercer with the tear streaks, but they needed some more filling. Going over her makeup table, she began to color in her tear streaks, turning the jagged lines from light silver streaks to solid silver marks, removing any sign that she had been crying and adding an intensity she thought was missing. Dani examined her handiwork, reapplying her eyeliner as usual. The silver line traced from under the outer edges of her eyes, cut back in about an inch towards the tip of her nose halfway down, then continued down and finished at her chin. Dani practiced some of her glares, feeling satisfied with the results. She didn't care that it looked like she had a criminal record, which she didn't; if anything, it sent up a warning flag to those not to mess with her. Yeah, it might take away from the effect of her puppy-dog eyes, but overall, Dani felt it was an improvement; she smiled at her reflection now, wondering why she hadn't done something like this before.

"Would you hurry up?" Kaiba demanded from outside, wiping the smile off Dani's face.

'Well, at least I have someone to practice my new glare on,' she thought as she headed for the door, pulling on some silver fingerless gloves.

Yugi looked around the hideout, which was pretty nondescript. It was just one of the many crumbling buildings that made up this Satellite area. The only item that marked any sign of habitation was a little white flag over the entrance of Dani's hideout, a little blue dragon claw inscribed upon the flag. Yugi began to explore the area, taking in everything.

"This area doesn't look very good," he said, climbing over a pile of rubble. He felt the Pharaoh come out of the Puzzle.

"Yes, Dani mentioned how desolate this place is. Nothing like that bad area she mentioned, but she was correct," he said, solemnly. "Be on your guard, I suspect there will be unsavory characters around. And even though we beat Dani yesterday, we still need to learn more about this Synchro Summoning in order to defeat it. I suspect that people in this era focus more on swarming the field to Synchro Summon than on sacrificing for stronger monsters like we're used to."

"Right," Yugi agreed, pausing in his tracks and looking back at the hideout. "Dani said she needed some time alone, why didn't Kaiba come out with us?"

"Kaiba's too stubborn to take orders just like that," Yami answered with a smile. "I think he'll be joining us soon enough."

"If you say so," Yugi said, turning away. Looking around, he spotted something on the ground. He walked over and upon closer inspection saw that it was a Duel Monster's card. "Why would someone leave a card lying on the ground?" He picked it up and saw the name. "Magical Girl? I've never heard of this card before."

"That's because it's a product of this era," Yami pointed out, pointing specifically at a certain symbol on the card. "It's one of those Tuner monsters."

"You're right. But what good will it do for us when we don't have any of those Synchro monsters?" Yugi asked, examining the artwork.

"We don't have to put it in our deck. However, I think she'll come in handy. Keep her in your pockets for now," Yami advised, "Kaiba's coming out anyways." The King of Games pocketed the card and turned to behold Kaiba storming out of Dani's hideout.

"That insolent little brat," he muttered to himself, "Just who does she think she is?"

"Trouble?" Yugi asked innocently, though Yami was chuckling as Kaiba started.

"That woman thinks she can just kick me out whenever she feels like it, then has the audacity to tell me to give up my pride," Kaiba ranted.

"Humility was never one of your strong suits," Yugi pointed out, which earned him another glare from the Kaibacorp president.

"Don't push it Yugi," he warned, "The only reason why I'm still here with you and your new dweeb girlfriend is because I see no other options for getting back to our own time."

"That dragon brought us here for a reason Kaiba," Yugi said, "Something terrible is going to happen soon. I've seen it, and it's terrible. However, we won't be fighting alone. We will have allies in this time, but we have to find them first."

"If they're anything like your friends back in our time, I don't want to meet them," Kaiba said bluntly. He leaned against the wall and began tapping his foot impatiently.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh on Dani?" Yugi asked, trying to keep the monotony at bay.

"Why do you care?" came the quick retort.

"All I'm saying is that she's helping us, and if what I saw is true-"

"I've told you before, I'm not interested in your mystic stuff," Kaiba interrupted, "Especially if it was just a dream."

"Kaiba, we've been taken over nearly one hundred and fifty years into the future. Don't you think that there just might be something to this mystic nonsense, as you put it?" The president of Kaibacorp looked away, unwilling to admit defeat. A silence fell between the two rivals, broken only by the occasional gust of wind.

"He'll learn eventually," Yami said sagely.

"Better late than never," Yugi thought back. As the two engaged in yet another discussion, Kaiba glanced around, taking in his surroundings. He didn't like being surrounded by all this filth. It stank of failure, and Kaiba hated failure. He stormed over to the entrance and knocked loudly.

"Would you hurry up?" he demanded, wondering what was keeping their host.

"Why don't you learn some patience?" came the annoyed response.

"I don't need half an hour to get ready," Kaiba retorted.

"It must help to have people wait on you hand and foot every single moment," Dani shot back, emerging from the shadows and glaring at Kaiba. The marks on her face caught him off guard, much to Dani's satisfaction as she slung her blue travel bag over her left shoulder.

"Why did you?" Kaiba began, but Dani cut him off.

"These marks are going to be a reminder of what happened yesterday," she explained, "And I know I didn't mention this yesterday, but if you see people with gold marks similar to what I have now, be careful around them. Marks like that means they have a criminal record. Most are minor, but it still marks you as an outcast from Satellite."

"Do these marks determine what crime you committed?" Yugi asked. When Dani shrugged, Yugi continued. "Then do you have any idea what your marks mean?"

Dani grinned. "They mean that I've been a baaaaaad girl. Now let's go and see if we can't find the people you were brought here to fight." She started off down an alley, leaving Kaiba and Yugi looking perplexed.

"We should find people more reliable than her to help," Kaiba said quietly.

"I heard that!" Dani called back, "And trust me, I'm the best person you could have landed on in this part of Satellite, ever since that black mist incident people haven't been quite so open with one another, despite the new bridge connecting New Domino to Satellite." Yugi just shrugged and followed Dani, Kaiba not far behind.

Yusei Fudo also woke up to the smell of coffee that morning, getting up off the couch he had slept in the night before. Remembering that he was still in Akiza's house, he glanced around and saw Jack over by the coffee maker, sipping a mug of the bitter liquid.

"Morning," Jack grunted, noticing Yusei sitting up, "There's plenty left in the pot if you want some."

"Thanks," Yusei said, standing up and stepping over the sleeping Crow, who had crashed on the floor for the night. Despite some threats from Akiza over their peeking adventure, Jack and Crow had spent the night at the Izinski residence with the idea that they would all go to Satellite the next morning to investigate. Akiza let Yusei take the couch, leaving the floor to Jack and Crow, while she retired to her bedroom, still irked at their antics. Yusei had a gut feeling that if it hadn't been for him, Jack and Crow would probably be waking up outside, covered in various psychic-induced injuries. The Head Signer walked over to the fridge and began pulling out breakfast materials; eggs, bacon, oranges and the like. Jack eyed him as Yusei began to make breakfast.

"That's a lot of food for one man," he said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and biting into it.

Yusei continued with his actions. "Well, it's a good thing we've got Akiza and Crow to help me eat this." The smell of bacon began to permeate throughout the house and woke up the other two Signers.

"Man, that's an awesome smell to wake up to," Crow mumbled as he sat up, "Eases the pain from sleeping on the floor."

"Says the man who slept on the floor to let his little birds have the bed," Jack pointed out.

"I'm used to that floor, not this floor," Crow shot back, stretching his wiry frame and pulling on his brown Enforcers jacket.

"You should be thankful I let you use that floor," Akiza grumbled as she entered the kitchen sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Still in her pajamas, she grabbed Yusei's mug and took a sip, pulling a face as her taste buds registered the bitter flavor. "Ugh, I hate coffee." She put the mug down and began rooting through the fridge for a different drink. "I didn't know you could cook, Yusei."

Yusei chuckled. "We all took turns while slumming in Satellite. We had to learn how to cook better are starve. You can only eat ramen for so long."

"I don't see what's wrong with ramen," Jack muttered into his mug, something not missed by the Blackwing Duelist.

"You're the only guy who could spent the rest of his life eating ramen and not complain," Crow pointed out, "I'd be sick of burgers if I ate only that for a week."

"Maybe you just don't like burgers enough."

"Maybe you like ramen too much!"

Akiza groaned. "You guys, it's too early for arguing." She emerged from the fridge sipping at a simple cup of orange juice and fixed both Jack and Crow with a glare. "Can we save that for when we get to Satellite?"

"Look what you did! You upset our gracious host!" Jack accused, which of course ruffled Crow's feathers, so-to-speak.

"I upset her!? It was your idea to go spying on them in the first place!" he spluttered

"Now you listen here-" Jack began, but Yusei intervened.

"Guys, cool it!" He waved a spatula at them threateningly. "There's no need to squabble over such little things! Jack, if you're not going to be helpful, you can go pick up Luna and Leo, as I'm sure they're wondering what's going on as well."

"Yes mother," Jack muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm. The four Signers stared at each other for a moment longer, then burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. The good mood was carried over through breakfast and even on the way to Satellite. However, even with Leo's perky attitude, as the gang approached the slums of Satellite, the mood began to darken. Yusei looked over to the maroon convertible Akiza was driving, with Leo and Luna sitting in the back. The twins were having yet another argument, it seemed. His thoughts turned inward.

'If the Crimson Dragon is warning us of some new threat, I hope we can find this quickly and stop it before whatever it is begins,' he thought. His musing were interrupted by Crow on their radio frequency.

"So, Yusei, do you have any idea why the Crimson Dragon appeared last night?" he asked, "I know I just became a Signer recently, but I'm still trying to figure out how this dragon ticks."

"Don't worry too much about the Crimson Dragon," Yusei answered, "It hasn't led us wrong yet." The wind ruffled his hair under Yusei's helmet as they sped along the highway to Satellite. This was one of the moments he truly enjoyed; riding his Duel Runner around, feeling the G's affect his body as he accelerated around a curve. How often did he take such rides for granted after the Dark Signer incident? Yusei had rode around so much after finishing constructing the bridges connecting Satellite, yet this ride had him worried. Just like during the Dark Signer incident, riding his Duel Runner brought no joy to his heart, so great was his worry for New Domino City and the people he had been appointed to protect. As they reached Satellite, Jack this time broke the silence on the radio.

"So, any idea what we're doing here? I doubt the Crimson Dragon is going to hold our hands as we look for this new threat," he said, white Duel Runner taking the lead. Their little convoy sped past a young woman in a blue jacket leading two other male duelists.

Crow looked back and saw the silver markings on the woman as she shook a fist at them, annoyed that they'd nearly ran her over. "Hey, she's cute."

"Focus Crow," Jack snapped, "You can chase after women later."

"So? You have Carly," Crow shot back, "Yusei has Akiza."

"We're not-" Yusei began, but Crow ignored him, "Why can't I find myself a nice lady to help me watch over the Crow's Nest?"

"Because we have a job to do," Akiza said over the hand radio Yusei had installed in her convertible.

"You can't blame a guy for trying," Crow mumbled.

"You left your headset on Crow"

"Crud!"

"Guys," Yusei intervened, once again. "Let's head to the old Enforcer headquarters and we'll map out a plan from there."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Me too!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Crow asked, "Last one there has to shine our Duel Runners!" His black Duel Runner zoomed ahead, Jack not far behind. "Nobody makes Jack Atlas shine someone else's Duel Runner!" Yusei chuckled as he and Akiza followed at a much more leisurely pace.

Thomas Aka, the Man with the Red Eyes, the Black Dragon, these were some of his titles. He perched upon his black and red Duel Runner on a high pile of rubble in the B.A.D area of Satellite, sharp eyes looking at the grunts the Master was sending out to make initial contact with their foes. Once found, the more experienced Duelists would swoop in and challenge the so-called heroes after the grunts softened them up. Thomas didn't necessarily approve of such tactics, but he did see why the Master employed them. Know your enemy, and the battle is already half won. He swept a couple of stray strands of black hair out of his face as a familiar sound approached. A white and yellow striped Duel Runner roared and pulled up next to him. Allana Hikari climbed off her Duel Runner, clad in a form-fitting yellow jumpsuit, flattering her voluptuous curves.

"What's wrong Tom?" she asked, following his gaze, "Don't like the Master's plan?"

Thomas glanced at her as she let her hair down to get rid of the helmet hair she'd gotten on the way to meet them. "No, but I won't deny that it's a good plan."

"I sense a 'but'" Allana commented.

That got a smile from the pale Duelist. "You know me too well. But, I prefer to face these Duelists at their best, to test their mettle against mine, to see if I truly have become an elite Duelist."

"You already are in my eyes," Allana said, holding a hand to his cheek, "Why not, when all of this is over and we've created a paradise, we go out sometime?"

"Is the Lady of Light asking the Black Dragon out on a date?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that a no?" Allana asked, pouting slightly. Thomas answered with a kiss and she melted into his arms.

"I'd love to," he replied after he ended the kiss. "But let's keep this a little secret from the others. I don't trust them."

"A wise decision Thomas," the Master's voice came from his Duel Runner, "What a cute little couple you two make."

"How did you?" Allana began, but was hushed by Thomas.

"My dear Allana, you'd have to be a fool not to notice the way you two looked at each other during the meetings," the Master chuckled, "Indeed, Matthias, Julius, Bario, and LJ all took bets to see how long it takes for one of you to make a move. Right now, Matthias wins, but if you wait a week to announce your new relationship status, Bario will win. I personally hope you wait, just to stick it to the old man, but that's just me."

"They made BETS?!" Allana cried, completely flustered.

The Master cackled at Allana's response. "Yes, sweetheart, bets. B-E-T-S bets. Nothing wrong with a bit of gambling here and there. Now, I really don't care how it works out for the two of you, but remember, I know everything." The radio transmission ended with the Master's laughter. The new couple looked at each other, brown eyes looking into red. Thomas broke the silence by swearing loudly.

"You know I hate it when you use foul language," Allana said quietly.

"Sorry, but that man is something else," Thomas said, fuming a little, "Just as it seems I'm getting a grasp on him, he comes out of left field with some new angle that catches me completely off guard. Once he gets his claws into you, it's impossible to break free."

"It's not like the goal he's got for us is bad," Allana said, hugging Thomas briefly. "We're going to turn the world into the utopia it has always meant to be."

"But does the end truly justify the means?" Thomas asked, breaking away from Allana and climbing back onto his Duel Runner, starting up the engines, "I need some time to think." She looked on as Thomas drove off, riding the Runner skillfully through the rubble of Satellite.

"Be careful," she whispered as she made her way back to her Runner.

Back in his lair, the Master chuckled. "Oh yes, Thomas, we can't have any little birdies escaping the nest. You are mine for as long as I see fit."

Dani had been taking Kaiba and Yugi to some places in Satellite that she knew held some shady characters, yet nothing of any value had come up. She got to witness a few duels from the legendary duelists, but they were over too quickly for her to really see some of their skills. The really annoying part of their journey was when they were nearly ran over by a red, a black, and a white Duel Runner, not to mention the red convertible following them. After sending a few choice words after them, she turned back to Yugi and Kaiba.

"What was that all about?" Yugi asked.

"Duel Runners." Dani answered, still annoyed, "They're used for Turbo Duels."

"What are Turbo Duels?"

"Duels on motorcycles using the Field Spell Speed World. Other than that, I don't know, nor do I care," Dani explained, "I don't have a Duel Runner, I don't have any Speed Spells, and don't plan on getting either."

Yugi's appetite for knowledge seemed insatiable. "Is it popular?"

"Very," Dani replied, "Just as popular as ground duels now. I doubt we'll have to worry about Turbo Duels, they can't force people into Turbo Duels if they don't have the Speed World card."

Yugi paused, imagination picturing what an experience could be like. "Wow. Who've thought Duel Monsters would get so wild?!"

Kaiba remained silent, wary for anything. He didn't like being here in the first place, but there was something that felt wrong about this place. His thoughts were confirmed a moment later when a pair of black motorcycles pulled up, blocking their path, and two intimidating men wearing skull masks dismounted and held up Duel Disks.

"What do you want?" Dani asked as the odd trio paused.

"Isn't it obvious?" the man asked, his voice deep, "The Master warned us that Yugi might follow him here, and we're here to stop you. I challenge you, Yugi Muto, to a Duel!" His mask began glowing with a weird purple and gold light and a wall of black flames magically surrounded the Duelists.

"It would seem I don't have a choice," Yugi said, stepping forward.

Kaiba stepped forward as well. "If you're going to Duel Yugi, you're going to Duel me as well."

"Who the hell are you?" the other man asked.

"You mean you don't recognize the president of Kaibacorp when you see him?" Kaiba retorted, "I suppose I have been gone for awhile. I'd still expect you to recognize Seto Kaiba when you see him."

That got the masked men's attention. "The Master never mentioned anything about Kaiba coming to help Yugi. I thought they were rivals!"

"I don't know, but our orders are clear; take out Yugi, the Signers, and anyone helping them so that his plan will work," the other grunt said, pulling out a peculiar tool. He threw it at Yugi and it became a chain that bound Yugi's foot to the grunt's.

"What the?!" Yugi exclaimed, trying to pull the chain off in vain. Meanwhile, the smaller man mirrored the larger man's actions and chained Kaiba to him.

"That's to make certain you don't try to escape," the larger grunt explained.

"Because a magic firewall wasn't enough?" Dani challenged, "Why aren't you chaining me as well?"

"You aren't dueling," said the smaller grunt, "though I could chain you for some fun back at my place." That drew looks of disgust from everyone else present, even his companion.

"Really dude? That's just sick," the larger grunt commented, skull mask never changing expression, but body language telling a whole different story.

"What you call sick, I call kinky. Besides, she's hot," said the smaller grunt defensively.

"So's Allana, but I've never heard you talk about her like that."

Yugi, meanwhile, had transformed into Yami Yugi and had armed his Duel Disk. "If you two are done talking, it's time to Duel!"

"Let's just finish these morons quickly and get a move on," Kaiba grumbled, his own Duel Disk active. Dani warily looked at the wall of flames, judging them to be too high to jump, then stepped back and let Yugi, Kaiba, and the two grunts take center stage of the fiery circle.

**And there we have it, Chapter 4 is up and running. I realize that I won't be able to post as frequently as I did with the first 3 chapters, as I have 17 credits in college and a job to worry about, but I will try to have a new chapter up every two weeks or so, give or take a week. I want to give a quick shout-out to Iluvialpz and ani-gamer10 for being the first people to favorite and review any of my stories respectively. I'm relatively new to the FF community, so any and all support is greatly appreciated. R&Rs are welcomed, until next time**

**From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut**


	5. Let the Battles Begin!

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release! Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 5: Let the Battles Begin!**

Yusei and Akiza pulled up to the old Enforcers hideout, yet another run-down building in Satellite, but this building held many memories for Yusei. He recalled both the good times and the tumultuous ending with great clarity.

"This was the old Enforcers hideout?" Leo asked, "It looks like a dump."

"Leo!" Luna admonished, "They haven't been here for years!"

"It's okay Luna," Yusei soothed, "Leo's right, this place was a dump. But we made it OUR dump. It was a place where we dreamed of escaping from Satellite, where we made all sorts of plans. Most of them never came to pass, but Kalin never gave up hope."

"Before he went super power crazy and became a Dark Signer," Leo pointed out

"Nobody's perfect," Luna said as Akiza killed the engine.

"Yeah," the psychic duelist added, "People change. I still am haunted by some of the things I've done as the Black Rose Witch."

"You were brainwashed, that doesn't count!" Leo argued.

Luna groaned. "There's just no arguing with you, is there?"

"Nope!" Leo agreed as he climbed out, "Now let's go kick some bad guy butt!" He ran over to Crow and Jack, who had already taken shelter in the entrance hall of the old hideout.

"We don't even know where the bad guys are!" Luna shouted after him, following at a slower pace.

"Those twins," Akiza commented as she and Yusei also followed into the building. "I can only imagine how much of a handful they were as toddlers."

"Twins can be a handful, no matter which parents have them or what age they're at," Yusei pointed out.

"If you two are done," Jack interrupted, "Then let's figure out what we're doing here in Satellite."

Yusei nodded. "Right. Crow, see if that map is still hanging on the wall upstairs. We'll divide Satellite into different sections and we'll each search each sector carefully."

"And after that?" Jack asked.

"We'll see."

"When do we get to fight the bad guys?" Leo asked.

"If we find them," Yusei began, "Then we'll only fight if we have to."

"Yeah!"

"Let's make this quick," Crow said, bringing the map down and plunking it on the table. "I'm ready to get this over with."

"What, so you can go find that girl you saw?" Jack asked.

Crow smiled. "I don't see why not. It's not every day you see a girl with a silver mark instead of a gold mark." He pointed to his marks. "We'd be two birds of a feather."

"You don't even know the girl! And what's this about a silver mark?" Jack looked confused. "I'd heard different colored marks were only for serious criminals. I wouldn't waste my time looking for her."

"Jack's right Crow," Yusei agreed, "We gotta stay focused."

"Lighten up, will ya?" Crow grumbled, "Let's just get going."

Moments later, the Signers were ready to split up and search for clues. "Good luck everyone!" Yusei called.

"Don't worry; we'll save some bad guys for you!" Leo yelled, standing in the back of Akiza's car.

"Would you sit down?!" Luna snapped, holding Kuribon in her arms.

"Let's do this!" Crow shouted and took off back the road they had taken to get there.

"See you guys in a bit," Jack said, driving off.

"Be careful Yusei," Akiza said, looking at Yusei briefly before she too turned and drove off in another direction. Yusei drove off, eyes alert for anything.

Dani was irritated. Mostly, she was mad at the smaller guy in a black skull mask because of the comments he had made shortly before chaining Yugi and Kaiba to him and his companion for a Duel within a rather large ring of black fire. Part of her was irked that she wasn't going to do anything but watch, but another part of her was excited, because she was going to most likely see some more from the two legendary duelists. She had heard stories about them as she grew up, even more so when she began dueling with her Blue-Eyes White Dragons, but she had never expected to actually witness them working together! Sure, she had seen highlights of their ancient duels when the TVs occasionally showed documentaries, but seeing old highlights and actually witnessing the duels were two completely different things!

"This will be a two on two duel," announced the larger grunt. "We'll each have 4000 Life Points and will alternate turns. I'll go, then you'll go, then my partner will go, and so on. Also, none of us can attack on the first turn. Is that acceptable?"

"Whatever gets you morons out of the way quicker," Kaiba answered. Yugi simply nodded.

"Let's Duel!" the four Duelists cried simultaneously.

Yugi LP: 4000 Kaiba LP: 4000 Grunt 1 LP: 4000 Grunt 2 LP: 4000

"I'll go first!" announced the larger grunt, "Draw!" He studied his hand momentarily. "I play the spell card Terraforming, which allows me to add a Field Spell from my Deck to my hand." The grunt grabbed the card his Duel Disk stuck out from the deck. "Now I play the Field Spell Pandemonium!" The circle of fire was filled with orange clouds as several twisted yellow stone pillars rose up here and there. One actually dislodged Dani from her viewpoint of the duel, causing her to leap off the pillar with a yelp of surprise. She landed a bit awkwardly on the now yellow stone ground, shocked by what had just occurred.

"That felt real!" she exclaimed, "Holograms shouldn't be able to do that!"

"Little lady, you have no idea who you're messing with," the larger grunt said.

The smaller grunt cackled. "Yeah, with the Master's abilities, the Duels are for real!"

"The Master?" Yami repeated with a questioning look.

"Our boss," explained the smaller grunt, "Count yourself really unlucky if you ever meet the guy, because he's the last person you want to meet."

"Would you like to explain to him what our plan for this wretched world is, you moron?" asked the larger grunt.

"It would take too long," replied the oblivious grunt.

The larger grunt groaned and smacked his mask with his free hand. "Ugh. Why do I always get paired with this idiot? I summon the Archfiend Heiress in Defense mode!"

Archfiend Heiress: Atk 1000, Def 0, LV 3

A purple female fiend appeared onto the field, holding her skull staff in front of her to guard herself.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," said the larger grunt.

"Then it's my move!" Yugi declared, drawing a card "And I'll start by summoning Queen's Knight in Attack Mode!"

Queen's Knight: Atk 1500, Def 1600, LV 4

A female knight in red and purple armor appeared and settled down in front of Yugi. "I place one card facedown and I'll end my turn."

"This is going to be fun!" said the smaller grunt, a sadistic glee evident in his voice. "Draw! I summon the Archfiend Cavalry in Attack mode!"

Archfiend Cavalry: Atk 1900, Def 0, LV 4

A wicked looking skeleton knight with red armor on a flaming blue horse appeared on the field.

"I'll end my turn with two face-downs," the smaller grunt announced. "Next!"

"Finally, my turn," Kaiba grumbled, "And I'll start by summoning Familiar Knight in Defense mode."

Familiar Knight: Atk 1200, Def 1400, LV 3

"Next, I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards." Kaiba grinned as he saw the cards he had drawn. "I'll finish with three cards facedown."

"Now the battle begins!" announced the larger grunt. "I draw! Prepare to meet your doom! I summon the Archfiend General in Attack mode!"

Archfiend General; Atk 2100, Def 800, LV 4

An orange clad archfiend appeared next to Archfiend Heiress and roared at the female knight across from him.

"It would seem my fiend doesn't like your knight," chuckled the larger grunt. "Let's not keep him waiting then. Attack Queen's Knight, Archfiend General! Savage Slash!" The orange archfiend pulled out a wicked looking sword and charged towards Yugi and his knight.

"I don't think so!" Kaiba declared. "Reveal facedown! Attack Guidance Armor! Now your Archfiend has to attack the monster of my choosing, and the monster I choose is Familiar Knight!"

"Why would he do that?" exclaimed the smaller grunt. The creepy looking armor materialized around the Familiar Knight and, like a moth drawn to the light, Archfiend General flew away from Queen's Knight and instead cut Familiar Knight into two pieces. Kaiba looked at Yami, who grinned.

"The Pyramid of Light fiasco," Yami said simply.

Kaiba nodded and placed a card on his Duel Disk. A dark metallic grounded dragon appeared on Kaiba's side of the field.

Rare Metal Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 1200, LV 4

"What?! How'd you summon that monster?!" shouted the smaller grunt.

"Familiar Knight's special ability," Kaiba answered calmly. "When it's destroyed, we all can Special Summon a level four monster from our hand."

"And I'm using it to summon King's Knight!" Yami announced. A bulky man in red and gold armor appeared next to his female counterpart.

King's Knight: Atk 1600, Def 1400, LV 4

"And because I have both King's and Queen's Knight out," Yami continued, "I'm allowed to summon Jack's Knight from my Deck!" A tall knight clad in blue armor joined his two companions in front of Yami.

The larger grunt paused, as if taking that development in. "Fine. Then I'll summon Infernalqueen Archfiend in Defense mode and end my turn."

Infernalqueen Archfiend: Atk 900, Def 1500, LV 4

A skeletal effeminate archfiend clad in a purple and red cloak landed in front of the grunt, crouched down in Defense position.

The smaller grunt looked at his hand, then groaned. "I don't have any level four monsters. That just isn't fair."

"Trying to destroy us isn't fair either," Dani pointed out, currently sitting on a yellow stone platform raised up about five feet from the ground. It gave her a decent view of the duel, so she wasn't complaining. However, she was scared simply because the monsters were apparently real. She'd heard about Duels like that during the terrorizing reign of the Black Rose Witch before the Fortune Cup, but she never expected to witness one firsthand! She didn't show that fear, simply to deny the grunts the satisfaction, but she was worried nonetheless.

"You stay out of this!" the grunt snapped.

"How can I stay out when I'm trapped here with you knuckleheads?!" Dani practically snarled, "Yugi, thrash these idiots!"

Yami grinned. "With pleasure." He touched the top card on his Deck and felt a jolt. When he drew it, his grin only intensified.

"Slifer!" Yugi exclaimed, heard only by Yami, "The only Egyptian god card we have left."

'It'll do for now' Yami thought back. Out loud he said "I sacrifice my three knights to call forth my ultimate creature!" The knights transformed into orbs of light that rose into the sky and created a cover of storm clouds, lightning crashing all around. One landed too close to Dani for comfort, causing her to curse and wonder why the universe seemed to be out to get her during this Shadow Duel. "Bringer of thunder and skies that roar, dragon god it is time to soar. Show force of unmatched height, instill hope with thine might. I summon Slifer, the Sky Dragon!" As the red divine dragon descended, Dani and the grunts looked on in absolute awe. Slifer roared and sent echoes shivering throughout Satellite. Far away, Kuribon squealed in fear, causing Luna to look around for the cause as she comforted the spirit. The other Signers felt the pulse of energy emitted by the god card as well, distracting them briefly from their search pattern.

"Something's happening," Yusei said to himself, "But what?" The closest Signer was Crow and he had gotten a hunch something was going on when the storm clouds covered the midday sun.

"That's never a good sign," Crow commented, "Better go check this out. Figures, it's always the new guy who gets the first tussle with the bad guys. Oh well, time to show the Crimson Dragon it didn't make a mistake by choosing me!" He drove his Duel Runner off the highway and began to comb the streets to try and find the cause of the disturbance.

Slifer the Sky Dragon: Atk/Def 3000, LV 12

"Now witness the divine power of Slifer!" Yami announced, "Attack Archfiend General!" Slifer roared and unleashed a giant fireball which consumed the orange Archfiend.

Grunt 1 LP: 3100

Dani's eyes were gleaming with excitement. "What power! This dragon, just wow! I see it, but I can barely believe it!"

"And with that, I end my turn," Yami announced, his usual fierce glare replacing his wolfish grin once again.

"My turn," said the smaller grunt, bravado gone. "I summon the Tuner monster Dark Resonator in Defense mode!"

"Tuner monster?" Kaiba repeated.

"It's the main component for a Synchro Summon!" Dani called to him, "Be careful, he's getting ready to Synchro Summon!"

"Your girlfriend is right," cackled the smaller grunt.

"We're definitely not dating!" Dani shouted, appalled by the idea.

"She is NOT my girlfriend!" Kaiba growled at the same time.

"Whatever, I am Tuning my Dark Resonator with my Archfiend Cavalry." The ugly little Tuner monster dissolved into three purple stars that turned into three purple rings that surrounded the Archfiend Cavalry, who dematerialized into four more purple stars. "Behold, as the shadows consume the light and create even darker shadows to reveal a world without light! I Synchro Summon Chaos King Archfiend!" A slender blue and red figure with flaming bat-like wings attached to its arms and smoke billowing out from its head appeared from the dark light that erupted from the purple circles and took its place in front of the grunt.

Chaos King Archfiend: Atk/Def 2600, LV 7

"A costly mistake!" interrupted Yami, "As by summoning it in attack mode, Slifer's second mouth opens and reduces your monster's attack points by two thousand! Go Slifer, Holy Lightning!" Slifer's bottom mouth closed and the top mouth opened, sending a stream of lightning at the Chaos King Archfiend, who withstood the attack, but looked severely weakened.

Chaos King Archfiend: Atk 600, Def 2600

The smaller grunt paused. "Fine. I'm still attacking Kaiba's Rare Metal Dragon!"

"What?!" exclaimed Yami, Yugi, Kaiba, and Dani simultaneously.

"My Archfiend has the power of Chaos!" yelled the grunt, "When he attacks, he can switch the Attack and Defense of the battling monsters!" The Archfiend released a cloud of smoke, causing Kaiba to start coughing. When it cleared, his dragon looked weaker than before. The opposite could be said for the Chaos King Archfiend.

Rare Metal Dragon: Atk 1200, Def 2400. Chaos King Archfiend: Atk 2600, Def 600. The Archfiend grabbed the Rare Metal Dragon with his flaming wings, burning it to ashes, then obliterating the ashes with a fiery explosion. Kaiba screamed in agony as the damage overtook him, feeling briefly as though every cell in his body was alight.

Kaiba LP: 2800

"Kaiba!" Yami cried, "Are you alright?"

The original Blue-Eyes Duelist gasped for air shortly before straightening up. "I'm fine. It'll take more than that to defeat me. You of all people should know that."

"Must be all that pride protecting you, right?" Dani commented. Kaiba merely glared at her in response.

"How touching," the smaller grunt said, "I'll end my turn."

Kaiba drew his card and looked at the three cards in his hand. 'Now I draw that card,' he lamented in his head. "I summon Peten the Dark Clown in Defense mode and end my turn." A clown with a black and white mask appeared in front of Kaiba and crouched down, making faces at his opponents.

Peten the Dark Clown: Atk 500, Def 1200, LV 3

"The great Seto Kaiba is reduced to cowering behind a monster in Defense mode?" mocked the larger grunt as he drew a card and grinned. "I activate the spell card Axe of Despair and equip it to my Archfiend General! Now he gains an additional 1000 Attack points!"

Archfiend General: Atk 3100

"Next, I'll activate my Infernalqueen Archfiend's special ability. Once per turn, I can give an Archfiend on my side of the field a power boost, good for another 1000 Attack points!"

Archfiend General: Atk 4100

"4100 Attack points?!" Dani shouted, "That ain't good."

"Not for Yugi, no," agreed the larger grunt, "Now destroy that god and show him the power of the Master!"

"I don't think so," Yugi replied, "I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!"

"NO!"

"Oh yes, now your Archfiend is destroyed, as well as all other attack position monsters on the field." The smaller grunt swore as the rainbow colored force shattered both Archfiend General and Chaos King Archfiend. "Care to try something else?"

"No. I end my turn by summoning Desrook Archfiend in Defense mode," said the larger grunt. A black and white weird octopus like archfiend appeared in front of the grunt.

Desrook Archfiend: Atk 1100, Def 1800, LV 3

"My turn!" Yami announced, drawing a card.

Slifer: Atk/Def 4000

"Now Slifer has enough Attack points to wipe out your comrade's Life Points!" Yami said to the larger grunt, "Now go my Sky Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!"

"I activate the Trap, Archfiend's Roar!" yelled the smaller grunt, with a hint of panic in his voice as the dragon god unleashed an enormous fireball in his direction, "It'll cost me 500 Life Points, but I can special summon a monster from the grave to take the hit for me! Come forth Chaos King Archfiend!" The revived Synchro monster held its flaming wings in front of his master, blocking the attack, but the flames consumed the monster, leaving the smaller grunt's field with just one facedown.

Grunt 2 LP: 3500

"Fine. I end my turn." Yami said.

The smaller grunt gave an audible sigh of relief. "Draw! I summon Darkbishop Archfiend in Defense mode and end my turn."

Darkbishop Archfiend: Atk 300, Def 1400, LV 3

"Well look who's cowering now," Kaiba said as he drew. "I summon Spear Dragon in Attack mode!" The blue and yellow pterodactyl-like dragon appeared in front of Kaiba.

Spear Dragon: Atk 1900, Def 0, LV 4

"Now Spear Dragon, attack that Archfiend Heiress!" Spear Dragon flew and stabbed the purple demon, shattering it. "Spear Dragon inflicts piercing damage."

"What?! Agh!" exclaimed the larger grunt as the pain washed over him.

Grunt 1 LP: 2100

"And now Spear Dragon switches into Defense mode." Kaiba announced. "I end my turn."

"Impressive, but when you destroyed my Heiress, you allowed me to add one Archfiend from my deck to my hand. Now I draw!" He looked at the card he drew. "I activate the Equip Spell Falling Down! Now I can take control of one of my opponent's monsters. Now come to me Spear Dragon!" The dragon flew from Kaiba's side of the field and landed in front of the grunt, who shifted it out of Defense mode. "Go and destroy that Dark Clown!" Peten let out a scream of agony as he was stabbed and destroyed by the Spear Dragon. Some of the shards hit Kaiba, who gasped as he had the ghostly feeling of being stabbed.

Kaiba LP: 2100

"How does it feel to be stabbed by one of your own monsters?" cackled the smaller grunt.

Kaiba laughed. "I'm fine, since you activated my Trap; Deck Destruction Virus. Because you destroyed my Dark Clown, you now lose ten random cards in your Deck!" The shadowy tentacles reached out from the card and attached themselves to the larger grunt's black Duel Disk. Ten cards were slipped out from the Deck and sent to the Graveyard. "And not only that, but I'm allowed to summon another Dark Clown to take his place!" Another Peten appeared, who bowed and stuck his tongue out at the grunts.

"I switch Spear Dragon to Defense mode and end my turn," growled the larger grunt.

"My turn then," Yami said, drawing a card.

Slifer: Atk/Def 5000

"I summon Magician's Valkyria in Attack mode!" A brunette spellcaster with brown hair and blue-green spellcaster armor, not too dissimilar to Dark Magician Girl, took her place in front of Yami.

Magician's Valkyria: Atk 1600, Def 1800, LV 4 Slifer: Atk/Def 4000

"Now Valkyria, attack that Darkbishop Archfiend! Mystic Scepter Blast!" The female spellcaster fired a green orb of magical energy and destroyed the last archfiend in front of the smaller grunt.

"OH NO!" He screamed and turned to run.

"Now Slifer, take him out!" Yami yelled. The Egyptian god roared and unleashed another giant fireball which hit the unfortunate grunt. He screamed in agony before mercifully falling unconscious, his Life Points reduced to zero.

"No! Steve!" yelled the larger grunt. "You'll pay for that."

"I highly doubt that," Yami countered, "you're next." That made the grunt pause. "I end my turn."

"Good riddance!" Dani said, satisfied. When a guy makes creepy innuendos towards her, she definitely holds no pity for them.

"Looks like I'm up," Kaiba said, drawing. "I summon Vorse Raider in Attack mode!"

Vorse Raider: Atk 1900, Def 1200, LV 4

"Go Vorse Raider, destroy that Desrook Archfiend!" The warrior monster threw his double-bladed weapon high into the air, leaping up and plucking it skillfully out of the air before coming down and slicing the checkered Archfiend in half vertically. The Archfiend shattered, leaving the grunt with his Infernalqueen Archfiend for defense. "Your move."

The grunt growled as he drew a card. He looked at it, then placed a hand over his Deck. "I surrender." The wall of flames died and the field faded, which, unfortunately for Dani, meant the platform she was sitting on faded and she fell to the ground with a painful thud. Yami grinned as he looked at Kaiba, who showed no sign of having just been in a Shadow Duel.

"That went well," Yugi said.

"I wish you'd given me fair warning," grumbled Dani as she joined the two Duelists. Movement from the grunt caught her attention. The larger grunt pressed a button and spoke into a comlink of sorts. Just like that, the grunt was on the ground, convulsing. "Oh my God! Someone help him!" The trio rushed over to the fallen grunt, who had fallen still.

Kaiba examined the grunt. "Still breathing. A bit irregular, but he'll live. Seems he was wearing a shock collar of sorts."

"Can you disable the collar?" Yami asked.

"Now now, no touching my toys!" cackled a voice from a speaker on the collar, "I'd hate to lose another minion."

"Who are you?" Dani demanded.

"The Master," Yami deduced.

"Well, aren't you quite the detective, Mr. Muto," said the Master, "I'm quite impressed you actually followed me here, not like it makes any difference. You gave my little ninja quite the headache."

"What?!" Yugi asked.

"Quiet!" Yami thought to Yugi, a little too quickly.

"In a way, I'm kind of glad that you've made it here," the Master continued, "You'll be able to see what I'm using your precious god cards for."

"I don't care what your plan is," Kaiba interrupted. "I'm going to stop you. I have a company to run and this time travel stuff is keeping me from doing so. Name your time and place."

"Oh, my dear Kaiba," chortled the Master, "Since when has any person with a world changing agenda decided to face the first challenger simply because he demands a battle? No, I'm going to wait and let you battle your way through my minions first. We can't end this story that quickly!"

"Story?" Dani frowned at the peculiar choice of words.

"Ooo, what's this? Another pretty face? Perhaps you'd like to join me in my eventual conquest of Earth."

"Piss off!"

"Cat's got a bark. I like that. I tend to savor the fiery ones as I extinguish their spark slowly and painfully. Whoops, got to go, looks like one of my minions is challenging someone else I have to destroy. Toodles! Ahhh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa!" With that scary laugh, the speaker fell silent.

"Well that was… scary," Dani said simply, still feeling the chills up her spine.. When she got no response, she continued. "So, any idea who this crazy master person is?"

"No," Yami said, "But I intend to find out and get back the other Egyptian god cards."

"He mentioned something about other minions battling someone," Dani noted, "Maybe we should go help!"

"Right, because there are a bunch of black firewalls popping up all over the place," Kaiba said sarcastically.

Little did Kaiba know how right he was. Yusei had just been contacted by Jack, who was currently engaged in a Turbo Duel with a man in a black skull mask who had created a track lined by black fire and was heading towards Jack's position when a black Duel Runner cut him off.

'That's not Crow's Duel Runner!" he thought. His video communication screen beeped. Yusei pressed the receive button and was greeted by a man in a black skull mask.

"Yusei Fudo." He said in a raspy voice.

"Who wants to know?" Yusei answered.

"The Master wants you out of the picture, I'm here to make sure his wish comes true. I challenge you!" His skull mask began glowing and a wall of black fire rose up along the edges of the road, setting the stage for a Shadow Turbo Duel.

"I don't know who this Master is, but you'll find I'm not going to be taken out that easily!" Yusei said. "I play the Speed Spell Speed World! Let's rev it up!" The Turbo Duel began as both Duelists began down the track.

Grunt 3 LP: 4000, Yusei LP 4000, Speed Counters 0

"I'll go first!" announced the grunt as he drew his card. "I'll begin by summoning Archfiend Cavalry in Attack mode!"

Archfiend Cavalry: Atk 1900, Def 0, LV 4

'Jack likes Archfiend cards,' Yusei thought to himself, 'and if they specialize in that type, this could be a challenge!'

"Next, I play two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Yusei said, "I draw!"

Yusei SC: 1 Grunt SC: 1

"I summon Shield Wing in Defense mode!" Yusei announced, summoning the blue beast to the field.

Shield Wing, Atk 0, Def 900, LV 2

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Yusei announced.

"So this is what the Master meant by a defensive game!" said the grunt, "Works fine for me. Draw!"

Yusei SC: 2 Grunt SC: 2

"I summon Terrorking Archfiend in Attack mode!" A regal looking archfiend appeared in the air, white armor and black wings looking rather fearsome.

Terrorking Archfiend: Atk 2000, Def 1500, LV 4

"Now attack that Shield Wing Terrorking!" yelled the grunt. The archfiend grabbed his wicked sword, flew over and slashed at Shield Wing, who blocked the attack, but didn't shatter. "What?"

"Shield Wing needs to be defeated three times to be destroyed in battle," Yusei explained.

"Fine. I end my turn," growled the grunt, zooming ahead.

"My draw!" declared Yusei.

Yusei SC: 3 Grunt SC: 3

"I summon Junk Synchron!" The orange little mechanic monster appeared next to Shield Wing.

Junk Synchron: Atk 1300, Def 500, LV 3

"Now I tune Junk Synchron with my Shield Wing to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior!" Junk Synchron pulled his cord and turned into three green rings that surrounded Shield Wing, who dematerialized into two more silver stars. "Let's rev it up!" The purple mechanical warrior appeared from the light that erupted from the rings and threw a few jabs with his powerful right arm.

"Not bad," the grunt admitted.

"Now go, Junk Warrior, attack that Archfiend Cavalry!" Junk Warrior activated his jets and flew towards the archfiend on horseback.

"Not so fast, I activate my trap; Hate Buster!" The purple card flipped up and began glowing. "Now both our monsters are destroyed, but you take damage equal to Junk Warrior's Attack points!"

"What?!" Archfiend Cavalry stabbed Junk Warrior's incoming fist and both monsters exploded, sending shards of energy towards Yusei.

"I play my trap, Defense Draw!" Yusei's own facedown rose up and blocked the energy shards. "This negates any damage I would have taken and lets me draw another card!" He drew the card from his deck. I place another card facedown and end my turn."

"No monsters left and two facedowns?!" The grunt said incredulously, "I expected better from the Turbo King."

"I'm just getting started," Yusei countered.

**Happy birthday to me! Here's my gift to you all, another chapter done early! I'm impressed that this story has almost hit the 500 view mark. I didn't expect something like this, but I'm grateful for all your support. Don't ya just love cliffhangers? :P Alright, to answer your question Rosenkreuz, I do NOT intend to ship Dani with Kaiba. Just because they both wield the Blue-Eyes White Dragon does not mean they have to be an item. Dani may or may not be shipped with someone from the 5D's era, depending on how it fits into the story. Keep them reviews coming! **

**From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut.**


	6. Attack of the Lightsworns!

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release! Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 6: Attack of the Lightsworns**

Dani was nervous. She had just witnessed one of the legendary Shadow Duels she had heard stories about and had received a chilling message from their apparent enemy, the Master. What had her nervous was the part the Master had said about 'extinguishing her spark'. She'd gotten death threats before; spending most of your teenage years in the slums of Satellite orphaned will drive a girl to do some things that might bug some people to that extreme. This threat, coupled with the power the Master apparently wielded somehow struck a chord with Dani. It was as though the Master had said the very thing that would rattle her.

"So," she began conversationally to her legendary companions as they plotted their next move, having gone a couple of blocks away from the unconscious grunts. "How many bad guys have you two taken down before this madness?"

"Three," Yugi answered, "Pegasus, Marik, and Dartz."

"Oh great, so you have some experience with stuff like this. Is there an easy way to do this then?"

Yugi let out a weary chuckle. "I wish there were. We have faced some tough opponents before, but none like this Master. I've never seen anyone or anything like him."

"What do you think Kaiba?" Dani asked, looking over at the Kaibacorp president.

"He's nothing but another power mad megalomaniac who puts too much stock into fairytales," Kaiba answered, "Why else would he program his lackey's Duel Disks to create those firewalls?"

"They seemed pretty real to me," Dani said, "I don't think you're taking this seriously, Kaiba."

Kaiba's frown deepened. "Sounds to me like you're taking this too seriously. Seriously Yugi, why is it whenever I'm with you, we get surrounded by people who believe in this nonsense? First it was Duelist Kingdom, with Pegasus somehow hypnotizing us into thinking our souls were trapped. Then it's Battle City with you putting too much faith into some ancient rock. Most recently there was some idiot claiming he was from Atlantis stealing souls from people to summon a giant lizard! Every single time, you and your friends believe that the world is in danger when it's nothing but people altering Kaibacorp technology!"

"Kaiba, why do you always doubt what's happening when the truth is obvious?" Yugi countered, "Can't you just accept that there's something going on here that science can't explain?"

"No, Yugi, I can't, because science can explain everything eventually. I don't know who built a time machine in the shape of a dragon to bring us here, but I will find out and crush them."

"You think the Crimson Dragon is a time machine?!" Dani laughed, "Oh Kaiba, I didn't know you had a sense of humor!"

"I don't."

"So, Yugi," Dani continued, ignoring Kaiba, "any ideas where to go next?"

"Not really," Yugi admitted, "Usually after the grunts the big bad guy sends someone more talented to try and defeat me and my friends. After that, it's work our way towards the big bad boss at the end and beat him."

"Great." Dani said simply, absorbing what she'd just heard. "So, what, we wait around for this peon to show up?"

"No, we keep moving," Yugi answered, "They'll find us either way, but it usually goes faster if we move around."

Dani sighed and shouldered her travel bag. "Well, no time like the present. Let's get moving!" She began to walk down the road, Yugi not too far behind her. Kaiba followed grudgingly, unwilling to leave the only guide he had for now.

'Why do I always get stuck with dweebs like this?' he lamented mentally, 'There's nothing magical about this! It's all smoke and mirrors! I would have thought as a girl who uses the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, she'd have more sense than that. I doubt she's worthy of using MY dragons in a Duel. Bah! I am the only one with the skill to wield such a mighty beast! I'll make sure she learns that before I figure out a way back to my time! First we have to stop that Master, as I'm sure he's the one who brought us here in the first place!'

Yusei LP: 4000 Grunt 3 LP: 4000 Yusei SC: 3 Grunt 3 SC: 3

"My move!" yelled the grunt, drawing a card

Yusei SC: 4 Grunt 3 SC: 4

"And since Terrorking Archfiend is on my side of the field, I lose 800 Life Points. Don't worry though, I'm going to share the love," laughed the grunt, "I activate the Trap Battle-Scarred!" The purple card flipped up, revealing an Archfiend slashing another warrior. "Now you lose 800 Points as well!"

"What?" Yusei gasped, then groaned as a wave of pain hit him.

Grunt 3 LP: 3200 Yusei LP: 3200

"That felt like real damage!" Yusei gasped as the mark of the dragon head on his arm began to glow. "Is this a Shadow Duel?"

"About time you caught on!" chuckled the grunt, "And it's about to get even more painful! I summon the Trance Archfiend in attack mode!" An ugly purple archfiend holding some weird metal bird appeared next to the Terrorking Archfiend flying alongside the grunt's Duel Runner.

Trance Archfiend: Atk 1500, Def 500, LV 4

"Now go Terrorking! Attack his Life Points directly!" The regal archfiend grabbed his sword and charged with a roar!"

"I activate my trap, Spirit Force!" Yusei yelled. The purple trap card flipped up and began glowing, creating a golden shield around Yusei's red Duel Runner. "Now I take no damage from your attack and I get to add a reinforcement from my grave to my hand! Come on back, Junk Synchron!" Terrorking Archfiend bounced off the shield rather comically and flew back in front of the grunt while Yusei grabbed the card from his grave.

"Nice job stopping that attack," the grunt conceded, "now stop this! Trance Archfiend, Attack!"

"Not this time!" Yusei said, "I activate my other Trap, Card Defense! Now by sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can negate your attack!" The barrier of cards formed and blocked the purple archfiends claws from reaching Yusei.

"Oh come on!" complained the grunt.

"Now I get to draw a new card to replace it!" Yusei announced.

"Fine. I see why the Master respects your defensive abilities, but sooner or later you're going to have to attack!" snarled the grunt. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

'Three facedowns!' Yusei thought, 'He must be getting ready for his big move. And with no monsters on the field, I'm going to have to draw the right card now! Here goes!'

"I draw!" Yusei yelled, hesitating to look at the new card.

Yusei SC: 5 Grunt 3 SC: 5

Yusei glanced at the card, then smiled. "Alright, I'm summoning Junk Synchron to the field!" The orange tuner monster appeared next to Yusei once again. "Now I'll use Junk Synchron's ability to bring back Shield Wing in defense mode!" The orange Warrior-type monster waved his hand and the blue lizard appeared on the field again. "Next I play my Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability. Since I have a tuner monster on the field, I'm allowed to summon it from my Graveyard!" The cute little hedgehog with bolts instead of spikes appeared on the field and curled up into Defense mode.

Quillbolt Hedgehog: Atk 800, Def 800, LV 2

"When did you?" the grunt began, perplexed.

"I sent Quillbolt Hedgehog to the grave to activate Card Defense," Yusei explained, "And now I activate the Speed Spell – Tune Up 123! Depending on what number I roll, I get to increase Junk Synchron's level!"

"Let's see what you roll then!" yelled the grunt. The dice block appeared on Yusei's screen and the dice began spinning. It finally settled on 1.

"Alright, since I rolled a one, Junk Synchron's level increases by one!" Yusei said.

"I don't think so," said the grunt, "I play the Trap, Dice Re-Roll! Now roll that dice again and hope you don't get a three or four!" Yusei growled a little as he pressed the dice roll button again and the dice began spinning again. It slowed down and stopped. Yusei smiled at the result.

"I've rolled a five," he announced, "Now Junk Synchron's level increases by three!"

Junk Synchron LV: 6

"Now I'm going to Tune Junk Synchron with my Quillbolt Hedgehog in order to Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon!" Yusei yelled. Junk Synchron pulled his cord and became six stars, each turning into a green ring which surrounded Quillbolt Hedgehog, who turned into two more stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Take Flight, Stardust Dragon!" The blue and white dragon appeared from the light that appeared from the rings and roared and it flew alongside Yusei.

Stardust Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 2000, LV 8

"Next I activate the Speed Spell- Silver Contrails!" Yusei said, "This gives my Stardust an extra 1000 Attack points for the turn!"

"What?!"

Stardust Dragon Atk: 3500

"Now attack with Cosmic Flare!" Yusei yelled, "Take out that Trance Archfiend!" The white blast of energy fired from Stardust Dragon engulfed the purple archfiend and completely obliterated it.

Grunt 3 LP: 1200 SC: 3

"You lucky sonuva" the grunt growled.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Yusei said as the card appeared next to his Runner before disappearing. Due to the difference in Speed Counters, Yusei zipped ahead of the grunt as they rounded a curve.

"You won't be ahead of me for long!" the grunt shouted, "My turn!"

Yusei SC: 6 Grunt 3 SC: 4

The grunt looked at his hand. "Now we both lose 800 Life Points thanks to my Terrorking Archfiend." Both Duelists groaned as they felt the wave of pain wash over them.

Yusei LP: 2400 Grunt 3 LP: 400

"I summon Dark Resonator in Attack mode!" the grunt said, a round fiend holding a tuning fork appearing next to him.

Dark Resonator Atk: 1300, Def 300, LV 3

'I know that card!' Yusei thought, 'It's a Tuner monster. He must be getting ready to Synchro Summon!'

"Now I'll tune Dark Resonator with my Terrorking Archfiend!" the grunt announced. Dark Resonator rang its tuning fork and dissolved into three purple rings which surrounded the Archfiend, who turned into four more stars. "Behold, as the shadows consume the light and create even darker shadows to reveal a world without light! I Synchro Summon the Scrap Archfiend!" From out of the darkness that filled the rings came a robotic Archfiend that let lose a resounding metallic roar.

Scrap Archfiend: Atk 2700, Def 1800, LV 7

"Now Scrap Archfiend, take out that glittery lizard! Scrap Iron Fist!" The Archfiend charged, fists emanating a silvery aura.

"I activate my Trap, Waboku!" Yusei yelled. "This prevents Stardust from being destroyed and I take no Battle Damage this turn!"

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Nope! Just watch." Scrap Archfiend punched Stardust Dragon, who had blocked with its arms, then the dragon flared its wings and blew the metal Archfiend back towards the grunt.

"Once again, you've escaped," the grunt said, "just how much longer do you intend to keep that up? I end my turn."

"I intend to finish this!" Yusei answered, drawing a card.

Yusei SC: 7 Grunt 3 SC: 5

"I play the Speed Spell- Overboost!" Yusei announced. Inwardly, he thought to himself 'I really owe Jack a cup of coffee since he let me borrow this card. I've been meaning to return this to him for a while, but lucky for me, I forgot.' Out loud, he continued. "This gives me four more Speed Counters for the turn!"

Yusei SC: 11

"No!" shouted the grunt, "Now he can use almost any spell!"

"I know!" Yusei said, "And I'm playing the Speed Spell – Final Attack! Now that I have eight or more Speed Counters, this doubles the attack points of my Stardust for the turn!" Stardust Dragon began to emanate a silver aura and roared, glaring at the grunt, who quavered in fear.

Stardust Dragon Atk: 5000

"Now go Stardust Dragon! Attack with Cosmic Flare!" Yusei yelled. Stardust Dragon roared and exhaled a giant stream of silvery energy that dwarfed the metallic archfiend. The blast consumed the Scrap Archfiend, scattering its holographic pieces everywhere and sending the grunt's Duel Runner out of control. The black walls of fire died and let the black Duel Runner come to a crashing stop at one of the mounds of trash scattered around Satellite. Yusei stopped his Runner smoothly, Stardust Dragon fading from sight and hurried over to the fallen grunt who lay sprawled on the sidewalk. "Are you alright?"

The grunt let out a weak chuckle. "I will be fine, but the Master will find you and crush you and the other pathetic Signers."

"Who's the Master?" Yusei asked, but there was a crunching sound from the grunt and he went limp. "What?" Yusei checked for a pulse. "Still alive, but it's slow. Must have been some sort of a drug." His Duel Runner beeped, signaling an incoming call.

"Yusei! Come in!" Crow's voice yelled.

"I'm here Crow!" Yusei answered.

"I'm in the middle of a Shadow Turbo Duel with this weird guy in a skull mask!" Crow explained hastily. "Has anyone else been attacked?"

Yusei nodded. "Yeah, I just beat the guy who attacked me. Said he works for some guy who calls himself the Master."

"Glad to know I'm not the only one battling these guys. Where should we meet once I beat this guy?"

"I'll head to your location," Yusei answered, "We'll rendezvous there. I'm going to check on the others. Be careful!"

"Relax man, after taking down two Dark Signers, I think I can handle a guy who enjoys Halloween too much!" Crow disconnected the link. Yusei sighed and looked at his arm. The Mark of the Dragon Head was still glowing, probably because Crow was still in his Duel. The pseudo-leader of the Signers began to plug in another number into his Duel Runner as he climbed back onto his red Runner.

Elsewhere, Akiza was dealing with her own attacker. Leo and Luna were Tag-Dueling two more grunts while Akiza dealt with the third. "Go, Black Rose Dragon! Finish off this fool so we can get a move on!" As the plant-like dragon unleashed purple flames that slammed the grunt against the wall, Akiza's phone rang. The black firewall that had surrounded the trio dissipated as the other two grunts were defeated.

"Yeah! We totally kicked their butts!" Leo celebrated.

"Leo, I doubt these are the best Duelists this Master has to offer," Luna admonished, then paused as she heard music playing. "Isn't that Akiza's phone?"

Akiza paused as she put her Deck back into her pocket and picked up her phone. "What's up Yusei?"

"Akiza! Watch out for some people in skull masks! They've already attacked the others, you're probably-"

"Relax, we've already beaten them. It seems someone calling himself the Master is behind all this. Any idea who he is?"

"No clue," Yusei answered, relieved to hear they were alright. "I'm heading your way now."

"We're fine Yusei, you don't have to come here."

"Someone is attacking us. There's strength in numbers and until we know what we're up against, we need to stick together. We'll meet up with Jack and Crow after that. See you guys soon." With a click, Yusei hung up.

"So what do we do now Akiza?" Leo asked, "Sit around and wait for Yusei?"

"You're not going anywhere!" the defeated grunt yelled, pressing a button on his wrist. A hissing sound came from him and Akiza smelled the first wafts of the gas the grunt has released.

"Everyone, get away!" she yelled, grabbing Leo's wrist. Leo grabbed Luna and Akiza pulled them a good thirty meters away. They were stopped when Luna fell unconscious.

"What's wrong?! Luna?!" Leo cried, beginning to panic. "What happened to my sister?!"

"She'll be fine," Akiza answered, taking a look at her, then sitting down when a wave of dizziness passed over her.

"Akiza?! Not you too!" Leo yelled. Luckily for him, Akiza's dizziness passed quickly.

"I'm fine Leo," she said, "Don't panic."

"Well what was that weird smell coming from the guy? Did he have one too many burritos?"

"It was a sedative plant called Duboisia hopwoodii, found in Australia," Akiza explained, "Luna will be fine, but judging from the concentration and her frail physical condition to begin with, she'll be out for a little bit."

"Wow," Leo said, sitting down next to his sister and laying her down in a more comfortable position. "How do you know so much about plants?" He yawned a bit, obviously feeling some of the effects of the sedative.

"I specialize in plants for both Duel Monsters and medicine," Akiza explained, allowing Leo's head to fall onto her shoulder sleepily, "Don't worry, I'll keep watch over you two as you recover from the plant's effects."

"Thanks big sis," Leo murmured before finally succumbing to the powerful sedative.

Akiza looked at the twins. 'It shouldn't be long before they get up. If my body was as small and young as theirs, I'd probably be out snoozing as well. That was an extremely high concentration just to try and take us down with them! Those men in the masks will definitely be out for the rest of the day, so we won't be getting any answers from them. But why would they try to take us out in the first place?' Akiza shook off the lingering drowsiness from the sedative and her brown eyes began to search for any sign of movement. 'I hope Yusei gets here quickly.'

The Master was in a good mood. His grunts were getting beaten soundly, but he never expected them to win. His message was being delivered. Now that the Signers knew of his presence, things were going to get fun. His smile faded a little as he thought about the first grunts who made contact with his opponents. He had expected the Crimson Dragon would bring help in the form of Yugi, but he hadn't anticipated Seto Kaiba being here as well. The Master walked into his private office, which was covered with monitors surveying what he needed to see around Satellite and he began to speak into the speaker on his desk. "Draco, I need you to get a move-on towards downtown Satellite.'

"Who's there that you need me to take out?" answered Draco Regle, also known as the Ruler of Dragons to his peers. His draconic green cloak flapped in the wind as the Master observed him riding his Runner through the streets of Satellite.

"Just a couple of unexpected guests," the Master replied nonchalantly, "It seems that Seto Kaiba has decided to join our little party and I think a little dragon war would accommodate him just nicely."

"Seto Kaiba? THE Seto Kaiba?" Draco replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Are you scared, Draco?" the Master asked, "For someone who claims to rule dragons, I would think you'd love you to battle someone with four powerful dragons of his own and claim the title of Dragon Master."

"Of course!" said Draco hastily, "My apologies, Master, I just wasn't expecting to hear that Kaiba actually traveled through time to do battle with us. You mentioned the King of Games coming here, and it makes sense, since you stole his god cards, and Allana just reported in saying she was about to make contact with him, but Kaiba, wow! What an honor!"

"Then you'll accept the challenge?" the Master asked, the veiled threat obvious.

"Of course!" Draco answered, knowing that the wrong answer meant death, "Our battle will be glorious and I will show him that not even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon can stand up to my dragons!"

The Master chuckled. "Goooood, gooood, make sure you drive that little group towards our Undead Lord's ambush spot. I want to see how this new girl fares against us as well."

"It shall be done!" announced Draco and the Master disconnected the link. He glanced over at one of the many computers in his room, one of which displayed a picture of Dani.

'Dani Aoimoku,' the Master thought to himself, 'the Maiden with Blue Eyes, or so you like to call yourself. How you slipped through my network, I do not know. Such a pity you threw your lot in with Yugi. I hate to see such potential go to waste. Oh well, if there's one thing I enjoy, it's snuffing out someone who hasn't seem my light.' The Master cackled in anticipation, rubbing his hands together as watched the camera on Allana's Duel Runner round another corner and captured the image of three figures down the street.

Yugi had allowed Yami to take over again, but he walked along the Pharaoh in spirit form, acting as another set of eyes. He was wondering if the people he'd seen in his dream were nearby, also fighting these people who worked for the Master. Another part of him wondered what the Master had meant with his comment about his ninja. Now that Dani had ended up in another spat with Kaiba, he decided to bring it up with the Pharaoh.

'Why did you shush me when I asked about his ninja's headache?' Yugi said to Yami.

The ancient spirit from Egypt averted his eyes. 'It's nothing, I tried to stop his thief from stealing the god cards and since you were asleep, I had to attack through her mind.'

'And you gave her a headache?'

'You could say that.'

'I'm getting the feeling there's more than just that.'

'It's an ability I have that traps the victim within the evils of their mind. This usually helps the person see the error of their ways, but that woman's mental discipline managed to block the worst part of my attack. Had I succeeded, we probably wouldn't be here right now.'

"Traps them within their mind? You drive people insane?!'

Yami looked at Yugi. 'Temporarily, but yes. It's like your modern saying, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. I've restrained from using it on people who don't truly deserve it and haven't used it in years.'

'I don't like it,' Yugi said, 'Pain isn't the way.' Yami remained silent. Yugi was about to continue when the roar of a Duel Runner interrupted everyone. A yellow and white striped Duel Runner screeched past the group and stopped in front of them, blocking the way.

"Well this seems familiar," Dani commented. Raising her voice, she addressed the rider. "So, you work for the Master?"

The side handle on the Runner rose up and out stepped a woman in a yellow jumpsuit, a white cloak swirling about her. She took off her yellow helmet and shook out her long blonde hair. "I do indeed. How did you know?"

Dani shrugged. "The way today's been going, what with all sorts of people in Duel Runners going around and idiots in black masks challenging us to Duels, it seemed rather obvious."

"Stand aside," Yami commanded, "My quarrel is with the Master, not you."

The woman chuckled. "A quarrel with the Master is a quarrel with me. My name is Allana Hikari, the Lady of Light, and I challenge you, Yugi Muto, to a Duel!" She held up her left arm, yellow Duel Disk at the ready. She raised her right arm and a light began glowing in the palm of her hand. The Japanese symbol for light appeared in the clouds covering the sky and white flames sprang up around the group, twisting and turning in such a way that Dani recognized that it matched the symbol in the sky. "I've always wondered how you came to be such a powerful symbol of good and light in Duel Monsters lore. I am eager to see what you can do."

"Well, I'll try not to disappoint," Yami answered, placing his deck into the slot on his Duel Disk. "It's time to Duel!"

A couple miles away, Crow had finished off his opponent and narrowly avoided getting electrocuted by the grunt when Crow went to check on him. Now he stood by his Runner, wondering what to do next.

"These guys aren't messing around," he said to himself, "Yusei said he'd meet up with me here, but he's checking on the others first." A sudden light caught his attention. "Whoa, what's going on with the sky?" The once sunny morning had morphed into a gloomy cloud cover and provided the perfect background for the light symbol to appear in the sky. "The sky isn't as dark as it was when the Dark Signers made their move, but seeing signs in the sky definitely means something's up." He pressed some buttons on his Runner, calling Yusei.

"What's up Crow?" came Yusei's voice from the speakers.

"You see that symbol in the sky?"

"I do now, you aren't dueling someone, are you?"

"Nope, my arm isn't glowing. I'm thinking this has something to do with those guys we just dueled."

Yusei paused. "Then why would the symbol for light appear in the sky?"

"Dunno, but I'm gonna go find out," Crow answered, climbing into his Runner.

"Alright," Yusei said, "Once I meet up with Akiza and the twins, I'll head over to your position."

"Works for me!" Crow put his helmet on and revved the Blackbird's engines. "See you in a bit."

"See you later."

Yugi stood by the Pharaoh's side as they prepared to Duel this attractive Lady of Light. He turned to Yami and asked. "You don't think she uses Light attribute monsters, what with calling herself the Lady of Light?"

Yami grinned and thought back 'You mean it wasn't painfully obvious?'

"You never know," Yugi said sheepishly, "this Master seems like a tricky person."

'That may be, but I doubt his minions are all just like him.'

"I hope you're prepared to meet your fate," Allana said, unknowingly interrupting their conversation.

"Let's Duel!" the two said simultaneously.

Yugi LP: 4000 Allana LP: 4000

"Before you guys start," Dani interrupted, "Do you have a Field Spell in your deck?"

Allana looked confused at the question. "Yeah, most of us do. Why?"

"No big reason," Dani answered, waving a hand flippantly, "I just wanna be ready the next time a Field Spell is played." Off to the side, she muttered "I hate Shadow Duels."

"The first move is mine!" Yami said, drawing a card, "And I summon the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in Defense mode!" A decorated elfin warrior appeared in front of him, sword in a guard position.

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian: Atk 1400, Def 1200, LV 4

"I'll end my turn with one card facedown," Yami finished, placing a card in the Magic/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

Allana drew a card silently, brown eyes staring at Yugi, taking in every detail. "I summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk to the field." A woman in white armor carrying a yellow battle staff appeared on the field, red kilt swirling briefly.

Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: Atk 1600, Def 1000, LV 4

"Now I'll attack your Guardian with my Monk!" Allana announced, pointing at the elf. Ehren charged and briefly dueled the Celtic Guarding before disarming him with a neat little move and bashing the elf on the head. "And since your Guardian was in Defense mode, he gets shuffled back into the Deck instead of being destroyed." The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian faded, forcing Yugi to return the card to the Deck slot. He pulled out his Deck and shuffled it before replacing it in the Deck slot.

"That's an interesting ability," Yami commented.

"Indeed," Allana agreed, "What I find fascinating is that ancient Duel Disk technology! You actually had to shuffle your Decks manually?!"

"Kaibacorp scientists are working on that feature right now," Kaiba interrupted.

"You mean a hundred and fifty years ago," Dani corrected.

"Whatever, my Duel Disks are still more than adequate to take you losers out," Kaiba seethed.

"I think not," Allana said, addressing Kaiba, "just because you have the Duel Disks doesn't mean you have the cards. You may have been a great Duelist back in your time, but now we have some new rules, new cards, and new abilities that'll prove you're obsolete! I end my turn, which means I send the top three cards from my Deck to the Graveyard, thanks to Ehren's special ability."

"What?!" Yami exclaimed.

"She's running a Lightsworn Deck!" Dani explained, "Most of their powers involve sending cards from the Deck to the Grave, and some special abilities are activated when that happens."

"You're right," Allana said, as her Duel Disk spat out a card she had sent to the Graveyard, "And one of them just activated. I summon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast from my Graveyard in Attack mode!" A white-furred wolf-man appeared next to Ehren, holding a golden axe and wielding a wicked set of gold claws.

Wuld, Lightsworn Beast: Atk 2100, Def 300

"Yugi, you are the King of Games and generally regarded as a beacon of light and hope from your era," Allana said, "But you oppose the Master, who will usher in a new age of paradise, and I cannot let you stop him!"

Yami studied her for a moment. "You have been blinded by the Master's promises. I doubt he will actually fulfill his promise, even if I were to fall in this Duel. His greed and lust for power will only be his downfall, and if you intend to go down with him, then so be it! My turn!"

**Alrighty, a new chapter has been posted, right on my planned schedule. I'm not going to be that guy who demands a certain number of reviews before posting a new chapter, but I would love to see more reviews. Trust me, your input helps. **

**So, long story short, the plot thickens. Team 5D's is about to meet Team Yugi in the next chapter, don't worry. The Master is making his move, and yes, he is responsible for the Dark Signer-like Duels. I was really inspired by that arc, so there will be some similarities. However, the marks of the Master won't be located on their arms, that's just too cliché, and there's no King of Hell to worry about. Let me know what youse guys think! Thanks for all your support!**

**From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut.**


	7. The Meeting of Legends

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release! Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 7: The Meeting of Legends **

Yugi looked at the card he had drawn. "I play Big Shield Gardna in Defense mode!" The warrior with a giant shield appeared in front of Yugi.

Big Shield Gardna: Atk 100, Def 2600

Yugi and Allana LP: 4000

"And next I'll play this card facedown and end my turn," Yami said, said facedown appearing on the field.

Allana nodded as she drew her card. "Well played. Too bad Ehren is just going to send it back to your Deck. I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to the field." A knight in white armor appeared, holding a brilliant sword.

Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: Atk 1800, Def 1200, LV 4

"If Yugi doesn't stop that monk from attacking, it's over!" Dani said fearfully.

"I doubt Yugi's going to go down that easily," Kaiba said flatly, "It'd be an embarrassment if he did."

"Now attack Ehren!" Allana said. The monk charged, staff at the ready. "Take down that last line of defense!"

"I don't think so," Yami said, "Reveal facedown card! Magic Cylinder! This sends your attack right back at you!" Ehren disappeared into the cylinder that had popped up in front of Yugi, then reappeared in front of Allana, about to strike. She raised her Duel Disk and blocked the blow in time to avoid receiving a knock on the head. Ehren returned to her position in front of Allana as the Lightsworn Duelist smiled.

Allana LP: 2400

"Excellent," she said, "I would have hated for the King of Games to fall so easily. I'll end my turn, which, thanks to Ehren's and Jain's special abilities, means I have to send six cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard." She grabbed the top six cards, and sent them to the Grave. Like the previous turn, the Duel Disk spat one back out. "Looks like I get to activate a Magic card now. From the Grave, I'm allowed to use Lightsworn Saber, which increases the Attack of one of my Lightsworns by 700. Here's a new toy for you, Wulf." The wolf-man's axe disappeared and in its place a brilliant saber appeared.

Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: Atk: 2800

"Next turn, that Big Shield Gardna is going down," Allana declared.

"I disagree," Yami said, "I reveal my other facedown, De-Spell. This destroys one of your Spells." The saber in Wulf's hands shattered and rematerialized into his normal axe.

Wulf, Lightsworn Beast Atk: 2100

Allana's smiled faltered slightly. "Hmph. I'll end my turn with a facedown. Your move."

"I will not lose this Duel!" Yami declared, "I have my faith in my cards and in my friends. I draw!" He studied the four cards in his hand. 'Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician, Diffusion Wave Motion, and Magic Formula. Okay, I can make this work.'

"This is where Yugi makes a comeback, right?" Dani asked Kaiba nervously.

"Shut up and watch," came the blunt response.

"You don't have to be rude about everything, you know."

"I sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna to summon the Dark Magician Girl!" Yami announced, playing the card on his Disk. The famous female magician popped out of the light Big Shield Gardna had left behind when he faded and she winked before holding her staff in front of her in Attack mode

Dark Magician Girl: Atk 2000, Def 1700, LV 6

"Now what will you play?" Allana asked, "Sage's Stone to bring out Dark Magician? Or are you going to power up Dark Magician Girl with a spell? I've seen every single one of your broadcasted Duels; I've seen all of your moves, nothing you do can surprise me!"

"Just because you know what cards I have in my Deck doesn't mean you know which cards are in my hand right now!" Yami answered, "Like this! I play the Spell card Magic Formula! This-"

"This powers up Dark Magician Girl by 700 Atk points and when it's destroyed it gives you another 1000 Life Points," Allana interrupted, "I'm well aware of its effects."

"So am I," Dani said sheepishly, recalling her last Duel. Meanwhile, Dark Magician Girl was reading the spellbook that appeared in front of her intently, until a purple aura surrounded her and she smiled.

Dark Magician Girl Atk: 2700

"So, which one of my Lightsworns are you going to destroy?" Allana asked. "I'm guessing Wulf, since he's the biggest threat."

"How about all three?" Yami asked, smiling that wolfish grin.

"What?"

"I activate the Magic card Diffusion Wave Motion!" Yami said, "At the cost of 1000 Life Points, Dark Magician Girl can attack all three of your monsters! You're finished!"

Yugi LP: 3000

"Dark Magician Girl, attack!" The female spellcaster playfully created three orbs of dark energy before sending them each with a kiss towards the three monsters opposing her. Each orb of magical darkness exploded on contact, destroying all three monsters and sending a wave of energy towards Allana.

"I'm not done yet!" Allana cried, "I play my Trap card, Defender of the Light! This halves the damage I would have taken if one or more Lightsworns are destroyed!" A yellow translucent barrier appeared in front of her, blocking most of damaging energy.

Allana LP: 1100

"It matters not," Yami said, "You have no monsters left and no Spells or Traps left to defend yourself. A third of your Deck lies in the Graveyard. Surrender, I don't want to hurt you and in these twisted Shadow Games your Master has created, survival is not always guaranteed. I end my turn. It's your choice now."

Allana chuckled. It was surprisingly dark for one called the Lady of Light. She drew a card from her Deck. "I commend you Yugi, for living up to my expectations. You are truly worthy of your amazing reputation. However, you stand in the way of a perfect society, a utopian world that only the Master can bring about. We will put about the end of suffering in this world! I will fight to the last breath to achieve that reality!"

"What do you mean, utopia?" Yami asked cautiously.

"I mean exactly that, and this card will help the Chaos Movement get there!" Allana shouted, "Wulf! Ehren! Jain! Lyla! By the dying sparks of their sacrifice, I call on you! Open the sky and reveal yourself! I summon the monster that will judge your soul! Come forth, Judgment Dragon!" The clouds parted to allow a giant white dragon to descend gracefully and land behind Allana with a roar.

Judgment Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2600, LV 8

"I take it that's the ace of this Lightsworn Deck?" Kaiba asked Dani, who was looking on in awe and horror. She simply nodded, taking in every detail of this new dragon.

"I've never faced a dragon like that before," she explained, "It's apparently super-tough to summon and even tougher to beat."

"Behold! The beast that will make the Master's dream a reality!" Allana yelled, "Since I have four or more Lightsworn monsters with different names in my Graveyard, I'm allowed to summon Judgment Dragon directly from my hand! Now I'll activate his special ability!" She raised her hand, which began glowing, the symbol for light now appearing on her forehead as well as her raised right hand.

"What is this?!" Yami exclaimed as the winds began swirling about the battlefield, stirring the white firewalls confining the Duelists.

"By paying 1000 of my Life Points, Judgment Dragon can unleash his power and destroy every other card on the field!" Allana yelled, yellow aura beginning to stream from her hand to the mighty dragon behind her. Judgment Dragon absorbed the aura and began to glow itself. The Dark Magician Girl looked on in horror.

Allana LP: 100

"Watch as your entire field is wiped out!" Allana yelled as Judgment Dragon stepped onto the Duel Field and unleashed a brilliant light wave that destroyed Dark Magician Girl before she even got the chance to scream. Yami flinched and shielded his eyes from the light. After the light faded, he blinked, trying to get rid of the spots. The Pharaoh flinched as he saw Judgment Dragon standing in front of him, growling.

"Because you destroyed Magic Formula, I gain a thousand Life Points," Yami said quickly, taking a step back.

Yugi LP: 4000

"Looks like you'll last one more turn," Allana said, "Go, Judgment Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!" The white dragon raised a formidable foreleg and slashed at the Pharaoh with a wicked red claw, passing through his body, but Yami screamed as it felt like a white-hot iron rod had passed through his body. Yugi felt the pain as well, but could do little to prevent his own, silent scream. The King of Games dropped to both knees, unable to stand after such an ordeal.

Yugi LP: 1000

"We have to help him!" Dani yelped, rattled the scream. She began to run forward to support the King of Games when a black and orange Duel Runner roared and charged through the white fire barrier, surrounded by a red shield as it passed through the flames. The Runner stopped in between Dani and Yugi and powered down.

"How did you get past the flames?" Allana asked the newcomer. She then noticed his glowing right arm. "You're a Signer!"

The figure in green pants, orange shirt, and brown sleeveless jacket climbed off the Duel Runner and took off his black helmet, the red jewel on the top of the helmet reflecting the light from the flames.

"Sure am!" Crow said, taking in the situation as he looked around, "Now why don't you tell me what's going on here and why you're picking on these innocent people?"

Allana laughed. "These people are not as innocent as you think."

"Get out of the way!" Dani yelled at Crow, who was blocking her path.

"Don't interfere!" he said, grabbing her around the waist as she tried to slip by, "If you do, he'll lose! Oomph!" He took an elbow to the gut for his troubles, but managed to hold on.

"Let me go!"

"He's getting up!" Crow wheezed, blocking another elbow with his other arm, "Jeez, is he your boyfriend or something?"

Dani stopped struggling as she observed Yugi struggling to his feet. "I wish. It'd be awesome to be the Queen of Games."

"Then why do you…" Crow began before trailing off, the wheels turning in his head. "Wait, Queen of Games, you mean he's calling himself the King of Games? That title belonged to one man; Yugi Muto."

"I know," Dani said simply, fixing him with her best glare, "Now will you please let me go?"

"You can't be serious?" Crow said, complying with her request, "You're telling me that guy is Yugi?"

Dani nodded. "We have a winner! Yugi, are you alright?!"

The Pharaoh grimaced in pain, still feeling the effects of the attack. "I'll be fine. It all comes down to this final draw though."

Allana nodded. "Indeed it does. I place one card facedown and end my turn, which thanks to Judgment Dragon's ability means I discard the top four cards from my Deck to the Graveyard."

"This is nuts!" Crow yelled, the light bulb lighting in his head.

"Tell me about it," Kaiba muttered.

"Who are you?" Crow asked, noticing the Kaibacorp executive.

"He's a jerk, that's what he is," Dani said before Kaiba could respond.

Crow's curiosity was off the charts "Why are you hanging out with him if he's such a jerk?"

"Why not save introductions for later?" Dani suggested, "Yugi's gotta finish this."

"You sure that guy is Yugi?" Crow asked, skeptical, "I mean, impersonators appear all the time."

"Just watch and you'll see he's the real deal," Kaiba said simply, watching the Duel intently.

Yugi was concerned for the Pharaoh. "Are you alright? That attack was awful!"

'I'll be fine,' came the terse reply. "I draw!" He looked at the card. "I play Card of Sanctity! Now we must both draw until we both have six cards in our hands!" Yami drew four cards from the Deck.

"You don't have the means to summon a monster powerful enough to stop my Judgment Dragon!" Allana pointed out.

"Not yet, I don't," Yami agreed, "But I will soon with this! Monster Reborn will bring back the Dark Magician Girl!" The female spellcaster appeared next to Yami again and rode her staff in Defense mode.

"You must have drawn Sage's Stone, you're planning on Summoning the Dark Magician," Allana said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"That's right," Yami said, placing the Magic card in the appropriate slot. "I use Sage's Stone to summon the Dark Magician from my hand!" The purple robed spellcaster appeared next to Dark Magician Girl, who looked happy to have her teacher at her side.

Dark Magician: Atk 2500, Def 2100, LV 7

Crow couldn't believe it. "He really is Yugi Muto! Man, the others are NOT gonna believe me."

"Now I sacrifice both my magicians to bring forth the ultimate spellcaster! The Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" Yami announced as his spellcasters faded, leaving a pool of dark, magical energy that became a portal. Through that portal stepped a man in dark robes and black magician armor, lightning crackling across the armor. "And with his rise to power comes your dragon's fall from grace!"

Sorcerer of Dark Magic: Atk 3200, Def 2800, LV 9

"So you can destroy one of my Judgment Dragons," Allana said, "But I have more than one in my Deck and if I bring out the other one, you're finished."

"I haven't finished," Yami said, "My sorcerer has a special ability. For every spellcaster in my Graveyard, my Sorcerer can reduce the Attack points of one monster on your side of the field by 500 points. And since there have been two magicians laid to rest, Sorcerer of Dark Magic reduces the Attack points of your Judgment Dragon by one thousand points!" A purple and blue aura drifted from Yami's Graveyard and was absorbed by Judgment Dragon.

Judgment Dragon Atk: 2000

"But that means," Allana said, already pale face now completely drained of color.

"This Duel is over!" Yami declared. "Sorcerer, attack! Celestial Blast!" The black-robed spellcaster pointed his staff at the white dragon and a deadly stream of fire was sent directly at the Judgment Dragon.

"I activate my Trap!" Allana yelled, "Lightsworn Barrier! Now by sending the top two cards from my Deck to the Grave, I can negate your attack!" A glowing yellow shield appeared in front of Judgment Dragon.

"I'm afraid you're wrong," Yami shouted, "My Sorcerer's power is so mighty, he can negate the activation of Trap cards!" The Sorcerer of Dark Magic fired a blue beam from his staff which shattered the golden shield. "I told you, following someone like the Master will only be his downfall and yours!" The flames consumed Judgment Dragon, continuing through to Allana, who screamed in pain from the attack.

Allana LP: 0

Amazingly, Allana did not fall. She remained upright as she staggered over to her Duel Runner, the white flames disappearing.

"Where do you think you're going?" Crow asked, rushing over.

"The Master will not be pleased with my failure," Allana said, "But he will not sacrifice his allies just because they lose a Shadow Duel." Her Runner began to emit white smoke, causing Crow and the others to cough as they tried to draw that precious oxygen into their lungs. Kaiba was the only one unaffected, as he had remained where he was, out of range of the smoke. Crow and Dani had rushed forward when they saw Allana trying to make her escape while Yami transformed back into Yugi. Once the smoke had cleared, Allana was gone.

"Is everyone alright?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah," Dani gasped, coughing a few more times. "I'm fine."

"No problems here," Crow said, "Now, I gotta contact the others."

"What others?" Yugi asked, "You don't appear to be with that woman."

"I don't even know her," Crow answered, walking over to his Runner, "All I know right now is that these people in black masks are trying to hunt me and my friends down and creating Shadow duels wherever they go. After beating the dude trying to get rid of me, I saw that symbol in the sky and decided to see what's up."

"So how did you get through the flames?" Kaiba asked, looking at the tricked-out motorcycle, "I don't see any force field projectors on this."

"That's an easy one," Crow laughed as he took off the glove on his right arm, revealing the symbol of the dragon tail. "I'm a Signer. This means the Crimson Dragon will protect me from things like barriers created during Shadow Duels, and I can use it to protect others as well."

"So, Signer, do you have a name?" Dani asked, sizing Crow up. She didn't like the look of the marks on his face, as these were legitimate gold marks. "And if you're one of the good guys, why do you have all those marks?"

"The name's Crow, and I could be asking the same of you," Crow answered, "I heard silver marks were only for the serious lawbreakers. You're awfully cute for a serious criminal."

Dani paused, unsure of how to take that. 'Just take the compliment,' she thought to herself. "The better to catch people off guard. Where'd you get yours?"

"Eh, I got caught a couple times stealing Decks for the orphans I take care of," Crow grinned, "It was totally worth it to see their faces when I brought them Decks the Securities had stolen. Now who are your friends? I mean, you've got Yugi freakin Muto over there and you talk to him like you actually know him."

"Well, I just met him yesterday," Dani admitted, "He and Kaiba over there spent the night at my hideout and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Crow interrupted, "You mean to tell me that's Seto Kaiba over there?" When Dani nodded, Crow simply sat down on his Runner. "This is too much. TWO legendary Duelists show up in the Satellite and these minions working for a Master are attacking people."

"So the Master is after you too, huh," Yugi noted, "Is he after your friends as well?"

"Yep. Yusei is going to check on Akiza and the twins right now and Jack is off doing his thing." Crow rubbed the back of his head, "I should probably let them know about you guys. We've got Yugi and Kaiba from the past dueling bad guys here in the Satellite." He looked back at Dani. "Are you from the past too?"

Dani smiled. "Nah, I've been their guide around Satellite so far. My name is Dani Aoimoku, best Blue-Eyes Duelist of this era!"

"Well, Dani," Crow began, "Yugi. Kaiba. Let me make this call and I'll take you guys to my friends. We can team up to take down this Master person before he hurts anyone else!"

Yugi nodded in agreement. "I'm happy to help. He stole some very important cards from me, and I have to get them back." Crow was already punching in numbers on his Runner, shaking his head at the sudden turn of events.

Yusei had found Akiza, Leo, and Luna no problem, although Luna was still a bit groggy from the effects of the gas the grunt had released to try and trap them. Now they were traveling towards Crow's position, marked with the tracker system's Yusei had installed in all of their vehicles.

"Hey, Yusei, look!" Akiza said over her car radio, "The light symbol in the sky is gone now!"

"Then that must mean whoever was dueling has finished now," Yusei mused, "Crow said he was going to check it out." A beeping sound from the vid screen on his Duel Runner caught his attention. "Well, speak of the devil." He pressed the receive button. "Did you find anything Crow?"

"You're darn right I did!" Crow answered, "We have some new friends."

"Friends?" Akiza asked, "Friends as in good friends or friends as in the people who've been trying to kill us?"

Crow chuckled nervously. "They're definitely the good friends."

"Well who are they?" Yusei asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Trust me Yusei, you'll have to see it to believe it. I can see you guys aren't too far away from here, I'll wait. Crow out."

"Maybe he found the King of Games to help us," Leo suggested.

"Yugi's been dead for a while," Luna said, giving her brother a look. "And I doubt his spirit is still around."

"Whoever these new friends of his are," Yusei said, "They must be the ones who were dueling not too long ago."

"Yusei," Akiza said slowly, "You don't think Crow's been taken hostage and this is a trap, do you?"

Yusei shook his head. "Back in the Enforcers, we had a code if such a situation were to ever occur. Jack thought it was stupid, but Kalin insisted we have such an emergency code. I know Crow wouldn't forget it, and he didn't use it, so he should be fine."

"If you say so," Akiza said.

"If Crow says they're friends, then they have to be friends, right?" Leo asked.

"We'll just have to see for ourselves," Akiza said. Her red convertible followed Yusei's red Duel Runner down the streets of Satellite towards Crow's location, tensions high after the recent attacks.

"So, when are your friends getting here?" Dani asked, sitting next to Crow's Duel Runner.

"A few minutes. So, I saw you earlier leading these two around. What do you think of these two legends?" Crow asked, climbing off his Runner and sitting down next to her. Yami was standing off to the side, having a mental conversation with Yugi. Kaiba stood atop a pile of rubble, trying not to seem like a part of their group.

"So you're the idiots who nearly ran me over!" Dani exclaimed, "I thought that Runner seemed familiar!"

Crow held up his hands defensively. "I was just following Yusei. Didn't your parents teach you look both ways before crossing the street?"

Dani looked to the side, trying to clamp down on the swirling emotions. "My parents are dead. Dad died during Zero Reverse and Mom died a few years later. I was only six when she left me."

"At least you got a few extra years with your mom," Crow said sympathetically, "Both my parents died during Zero Reverse. Sounds like we both grew up alone on the streets. Did you meet any good friends?"

"Not really, I had a rival, Noah Bushido, who I respected, but I've been a lone wolf for most of my life," Dani answered, "I've been too busy trying to survive to focus on friendships. I lived, I dueled, I stole, I did what I had to in order to stay alive. There was this girl named Sara who I was friends with once, before some coward framed her for a crime she didn't commit. The Securities took her away and I never saw her again. I was ten when I watched them drag her away, kicking and screaming."

Crow looked at her, surprised by this revelation. "Sounds like you've been through a lot."

"You don't say!" Dani retorted.

"So what'd you do to get your marks?"

Dani giggled. "You seem like a decent guy. Honestly, these marks aren't real, I drew them this morning as a reminder."

"A reminder of what?"

"Something Yugi said to me after he beat me in a duel."

"Which was?"

"A girl has to keep some secrets!" Their conversation was interrupted by Yami, who walked over and sat down next to Crow.

"So, Yugi, how'd you guys get to our time anyways?" Crow asked.

"Why don't we save that story until your friends get here," Yami replied, looking into the distance, "I'd rather not have to repeat myself."

"Works for me," Crow said, perking up, "I won't have to wait long then." The hum of a Duel Runner and the roar of a car engine reached everyone's ears. Soon a red Duel Runner and a red convertible slowed and stopped right next to Crow's Duel Runner. Crow went around his Duel Runner.

"Hey Crow, where are your new friends?" Yusei asked as he pulled off his helmet. Akiza, Leo, and Luna unbuckled and were getting out of the car.

"Right there," Crow said as Yugi and Dani rose and circled Crow's Runner, allowing Yusei and Akiza to see them. Kaiba glanced in their direction, but stayed where he was, twenty feet away. He glanced at the card around his neck, which held a picture of him and Mokuba. "Where's Jack?"

Yusei, however, was struck speechless. Akiza also gasped. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked.

"Like I said, you had to see it to believe it," Crow answered, "Guys, we got the King of Games, Yugi Muto on our side."

"NO WAY! I WAS RIGHT!" Leo yelled, doing a celebratory jig. Luna was quiet, then she walked up to Yugi and gave a little bow.

"It's an honor to meet you Mr. Muto," she said.

"Just call me Yugi," Yami answered.

Yusei seemed to have gotten over his shock. "Yugi. My name is Yusei Fudo." He held out his hand.

'That's the guy from my dream!' Yugi said to the Pharaoh.

"The current Turbo King?!" Dani asked, surprised someone like him would ever come back to the Satellite.

"Yep," Crow said, "He and I are like brothers."

Yami looked at Yusei. "It's nice to meet you Yusei." He took Yusei's hand and shook it. "And I think we both have some stories to share."

**And thus, the two legends have met. Are the Master and his minions done for? Not quite, there still a ways to go before we reach the end. Jack is still off on his own, and you'll see why soon. I'm surprised this story has gotten so much attention. Over 1000 views in the month of February alone, the total view count is approaching the 1400 plateau. Thanks for all your support! **

**Don't be afraid to leave a review, I welcome any and all respectful criticism. I'd like to make sure all the characters are IN character. And with that, I'll be getting back to work.**

**From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut.**


	8. The Duel of Kings

**I wish to apologize, as I'm a few days behind my two week promise date. Let's just say that college hasn't been kind to me. I literally crashed in my room last Thursday when I got home from a long day of work and school and was out for a good 16 hours. Yeah, I pushed myself that hard. It was my fault really. That, and I got a minor case of writer's block, as trying to get into that Jack Atlas psyche was rather difficult. Thank God for Spring Break! Anyways, that's enough whining from me, here's the next chapter!**

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!**

**Chapter 8: The Duel of Kings**

The Master was feeling satisfied. His plans were going smoothly. He hadn't expected Allana to defeat Yugi, but he knew his opponents were wary now. He enjoyed hunting wary opponents. He looked at his monitors, observing his minions taking their places around Satellite. The traps were set, it was time to divide and conquer. He looked at LJ's screen, seeing the purple-robed Duelist setting up his area. 'Two men with a lot of pride, both looking to become kings. This should be interesting,' the Master thought to himself. He looked at the other screen which had picked up a white Duel Runner, unknowingly heading towards one of the many trap zones set up throughout the area. 'Let the clash of egos begin!'

Jack Atlas patrolled the streets alone, though a part of him preferred it this way. He did vow he would fight for his friends against Goodwin and he had every intention of keeping that vow, but he still enjoyed working by himself. Jack knew he was always a bit of a lone wolf, no matter how much the pack pulled him in, but he didn't plan on pushing his friends away again. Jack had realized that even HE wasn't immune to love, both brotherly and mainstream. 'If it hadn't been for Carly and Yusei,' he mused to himself, 'We'd probably be spending the next 5000 years in darkness.' A glitter of something on the ground caught his eye as he sped through the streets. 'That's definitely out of place. Better go check it out. If it's a threat, I'd better snuff it out quick!' Jack skillfully maneuvered his Runner around and stopped where he saw the object. He climbed off his Runner, armed his Duel Disk, and walked over to the object. Jack paused when he finally identified the object.

"It's a crown!" he said out loud to nobody in particular. He knelt down for a closer look. It was indeed a crown, one Napoleon himself would have envied. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, all encrusted on a platinum crown, glittered in the dim light provided by the now cloudy day. "But who would leave something this valuable lying out on the street in Satellite?" Jack's purple eyes darted about, looking for someone trying to get the drop on him.

'This is obviously a trap' he thought, 'and the longer it takes for that trap to spring, the bigger that axe waiting to fall becomes. I'd better grab that crown and get back to Yusei and the others pronto!' Jack made a grab for the crown, only for his hand to pass through it.

"A hologram!" he exclaimed. There was a click, to which Jack tried to spring away, but not in time to escape the trapdoor that opened up and appeared to swallow him whole. The trapdoor closed just as quickly as it opened, cutting off Jack's scream of surprise. The only things that remained were Jack's white Duel Runner and the glittery fake crown, gleaming innocently in the dim sunlight.

Downtown Satellite

"So let me see if I've got this straight," Dani said, "The Master and his ninja broke into Yugi's house to steal two Egyptian god cards to time travel to our time. The Crimson Dragon notices this and decides to grab Yugi and Kaiba to bring them to this time as well. Meanwhile, Yusei and the other Signers are alerted by the Crimson Dragon that something's going on the night Yugi and Kaiba end up on my doorstep. The very next day, the Master begins his war against the world to bring about some sort of utopia, at least according to that one woman Yugi dueled. Everybody else has already dueled against the Master's cannon fodder, for lack of a better term, and now we're dealing with the better Duelists he's got. Does that sound about right?"

Yugi, back in control, nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Leo looked between Yugi and Yusei, eyes gleaming in excitement. "Yeah, but since we got Yugi with us, we can beat him no problem!"

"Maybe," Yusei said, "But Duel Monsters in this time is a lot different from Duel Monsters in our time. It sounds like you've already seen a Synchro Summon. There are also a lot more special abilities that monsters have that have made a lot of old cards obsolete."

"You mean cards like this one?" Yugi asked, pulling out the Magical Girl card from his pocket and showing to Yusei.

"Yeah," Yusei answered, "but that ability it has is nothing like some of the cards we've faced, like the Earthbound Immortals. We couldn't attack it, our Spells and Traps couldn't hurt it, and they could attack us directly!"

"Earthbound Immortals?" Dani queried, perplexed, "Is that what those giant creatures were that appeared around Satellite a few months ago?"

"You actually saw the Earthbound Immortals?" Crow asked, incredulous, "What about that black mist that covered Satellite? What about those hearts that sucked up everybody's souls?"

"What about them?"

"We'll talk about that later," Yusei interrupted, "My point is, we have two great Duelists on our side, but that doesn't mean we can't take anything the Master has for granted. I mean, that woman you were talking about, Allana, was it? She almost beat Yugi with a simple Lightsworn deck."

"Yeah, well, almost didn't cut it," Crow said, "What's our plan of attack?"

"We go in and wipe out anyone who gets in our way," Kaiba said curtly.

"And how do you plan to do that if we don't even know where they are?" Akiza asked, "They aren't exactly letting us question them."

"We'll just have to capture one and force them to talk," Kaiba said darkly.

Off to the side, Crow nudged Dani. "Isn't he a Mr. Nice Guy."

"You have no idea," Dani said, holding back a giggle.

Luna hesitantly stepped up. "Excuse me, Mr. Kaiba sir, but how are we going to catch one of them if they keep disappearing or knocking themselves out?"

"If they keep coming at us one at a time like they've been doing, we'll simply box them in since we outnumber them, you moron," Kaiba answered bluntly.

Leo was outraged. "Hey don't talk to my sister like that you jerk!" He stepped in from of Luna, who had tears in her eyes from the rude response. "Or you'll have me to answer to! You got that?"

"Like a pipsqueak like you is going to intimidate me." Kaiba turned to stalk off on his lonesome, but his path was interrupted by Dani. "Get out of my way!"

"Not until you say sorry. How can you pick on a couple of kids like that?" Dani asked, the rage everyone was feeling evident in her voice.

"You have to be ruthless to survive in this world," Kaiba answered. It was not the right answer.

SMACK! The sound echoed around the empty street as Dani slapped Kaiba across the cheek was as much force as she could muster, and for a child growing up on the street, she could muster plenty of force. Kaiba whirled about on her, rage in his eyes before Yusei stepped between them.

"Now is not the time for fighting," he said calmly, "Kaiba, I get that you're a loner, but you don't always have to be abrasive." The Kaibacorp president grunted and stalked off. A silence fell for a moment.

"Well that could have gone better," Crow commented.

Western Satellite

Jack was dumped onto a pile of soft cushions. As he began to get his bearing, a man's voice chuckled in the shadows on the dark room.

"So, another person too greedy for their own good, eh?" said the voice, a hint of a French accent. "Perhaps you'll be more entertaining than those other scrubs that fell down here."

Jack stood up on the cushions, trying to see in the darkness. "If you're looking for a fight, then be warned; I am not to be trifled with."

A spotlight shone down on Jack from above, blinding him. "That accent! Only one man in New Domino City has that accent! So, it looks like the great Jack Atlas has come stumbling down to my domain. This should be entertaining. The former Turbo King against one who is destined to become king. I look forward to defeating you for the Master." The lights turned on and Jack squinted until his eyes adjusting, revealing a man in a purple robe with the crown Jack had tried to pick up earlier sitting on his head. He was of average height and build with short red hair peeking out from under the crown, but the clothes he wore made him out like a king. The room Jack was standing in did nothing to dissuade that notion, as the room looked like it belonged to a king; elaborate furniture and famous paintings lined the room. Golden curtains hung from the ceiling in fancy patterns. It reminded Jack of his old throne room, only this room hadn't fallen into disrepair like Jack's had.

"And just who are you supposed to be?" Jack asked warily.

The man smiled as he picked up a golden jewel-encrusted scepter leaning against the elaborate throne he was sitting on. "I am Louis John Bonaparte, descended from the great Napoleon himself! With the aid of the Master, I will become king and rule this world the way it was meant to be ruled." He held up his right hand and the Japanese symbol for king began to glow a bright purple. Purple flames sprang up around the two, weaving themselves in the very same symbol glowing on LJ's hand, but bigger.

"What in the world!" Jack exclaimed, "But the Dark Signers have been defeated!" The mark of the Crimson Dragon on his arm began to glow in response to the newly created firewalls.

Downtown Satellite

Everyone in the group gasped as four arms began glowing.

"So, those are your marks?" Yugi asked.

Yusei nodded. "And it looks like our friend Jack is entering a Shadow Duel with someone from the Master."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Akiza said reassuringly as she looked at her right arm. "He managed to defeat Carly's Earthbound Immortal and he helped you defeat Goodwin."

"Look over there!" Crow shouted, pointing towards the west. "Up in the sky!" The Japanese symbol for king had appeared directly over where Jack was dueling.

"That must be where Jack's Dueling!" Yusei deducted. "But what is the meaning behind 'king'?"

"Hold up," Dani interrupted, "When you say Jack, are you talking about Jack Atlas, the former Master of Faster?" When they nodded, Dani actually sat down in shock. "Could this day get any crazier? I'm meeting celebrities left and right!"

Western Satellite

"The Dark Signers were fools, trying to bring about a world of darkness," chuckled Bonaparte, "We in the Chaos Movement are looking to bring about a new world order. After that, we'll get the parts of the world we want and lead as we see fit."

"You're mad!"

"No, but you Signers are in the way and the Master doesn't like obstacles in his way, so I'm going to defeat you in this Shadow Duel to eliminate this obstacle."

"I'd like to see you try!" Jack challenged, holding up his pure white Duel Disk.

"Let's Duel!" the two of them cried simultaneously.

Jack LP: 4000, Louis LP: 4000

"I'll start this match off," Jack said, drawing a sixth card. "And I summon Mad Archfiend to the field in Attack mode!" A red-haired fiend with a disconnected middle appeared in front of Jack, ready for action.

Mad Archfiend: Atk 1800, Def 0, LV 4

"Next I use the Spell Card Resonator Call! This lets me add a Resonator monster from my Deck to my hand, in this case, Dark Resonator!" Jack plucked the card from his Deck and his Duel Disk reshuffled his Deck. "I then place one card facedown and end my turn."

LJ smiled. "Now time to show you how a real king Duels!" I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh from my hand!" A blue metallic figure with two golden rings sparking with electricity materialized in front of the wannabe king.

Thunder King Rai-oh: Atk 1900, Def 800, LV 4

"Go Thunder King! Attack with Lightning Strike!" The blue figure launched a lightning blast at Mad Archfiend. The archfiend raised his arms and crouched down before being destroyed.

"Since you attacked my Mad Archfiend, he switched into Defense mode, protecting my Life Points," Jack said as the smoke cleared.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter. I'll wipe out your Life Points sooner or later, what's 100 Points now?" LJ scoffed, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"You'd be surprised how big a difference 100 Points can make," Jack said sagely, "Especially since I activate the Trap Card Powerful Rebirth! This lets me wake up Mad Archfiend from the grave and gives him a power boost to the tune of 100 Attack and Defense points, as well as boosting his Level by one."

Mad Archfiend: Atk 1900, Def 100, LV 5

"You aren't summoning your mighty dragon that easily," LJ countered, "By tributing my Thunder King, I can negate the summoning of Mad Archfiend and send him right back to the Graveyard!" Thunder King became a ball of blue lightning that stuck the revived archfiend and shattered it, leaving both players' fields empty of monsters.

Jack growled. "Fine. Then I summon Flamvell Grunika to the field in Attack mode!" A blue bipedal dragon with a fiery red mane appeared in front of Jack and roared.

Flamvell Grunika: Atk 1700, Def 200, LV 4

"Now go and attack his Life Points directly!" Jack yelled.

"Please," LJ said, "I activate my Trap, Threatening Roar! This prevents you from attacking this turn." The purple card flipped up and released a sound wave that stopped Flamvell Grunika in its tracks. The dragon flew back to Jack and took its position again. "My Life Points are safe."

"And how long do you think you can stall?" Jack challenged, "I end my turn with another card facedown.

"Who says I'm stalling?" LJ asked, "I'm about to destroy another one of your monsters. I summon Rockstone Warrior in Attack mode!" A warrior made up of boulders rose up from the ground and growled a gravelly growl.

Rockstone Warrior: Atk 1800, Def 1600, LV 4

"Attack with Rock Smash!" The rocky warrior slammed his boulder-fists together and charged. Flamvell Grunika roared and tried to slash at Rockstone Warrior, but its claws bounced off the tough hide before Rockstone slammed Grunika into the ground with his boulder-like fists, destroying the dragon. Jack winced as he felt a sharp sting in his abdomen caused by the loss in Life Points

Jack LP: 3900

"And with that done, I'll end my turn," LJ smirked. Jack recognized that smirk. It was a smirk he often gave his opponents when he toyed with them before ruthlessly crushing them. Now that he was on the receiving end of that smirk, he realized how irritating it could be. "Your move, so-called Master of Faster."

Jack drew a card. "Yes, now let Jack Atlas show you how it's done! By sending Sinister Sprocket from my hand to the Graveyard, I can summon Power Giant to the field in Attack mode, but its Level decreases by the Level of the monster sent to the Grave. Since I sent Sinister Sprocket to the Grave, Power Giant's Level decreases by one!" A large humanoid figure made of different colored gems appeared in front of Jack.

Power Giant: Atk 2200, Def 0, LV 5

"Here we go!" commented LJ

"Next I summon Dark Resonator in Attack mode!" Jack announced. A little fiend holding a tuning fork appeared next to the crystal behemoth. It rang the tuning fork once. "And as you can see, it resonates quite nicely with my Power Giant! Now I tune Dark Resonator with Power Giant!" The little fiend dissolved into three stars, which expanded into three green rings that surrounded Power Giant. The crystalline golem dissolved into five more stars before a giant red beam of light and fire erupted from the rings. "In an inferno of power and might, a blazing new beast is now forged! I Synchro Summon the Red Dragon Archfiend!" The red and black demonic dragon flared its wings and roared, hovering a few meters behind its master.

Red Dragon Archfiend; Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8

"You made a huge mistake when you decided to take me, Jack Atlas, on in a Duel. Go Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack with Scorching Crimson Flare!" Jack's beloved dragon roared and gathered flames around its fist before it flew forward and punched Rockstone Warrior, who melted from the intense flames into a pool of magma. That magma split up and solidified into two circular stones, each with Rockstone Warrior's head emblazoned upon them.

"What are those?!" Jack exclaimed.

"Rockstone Tokens," LJ answered, "I take no battle damage from battles Rockstone Warrior is involved in, and as an added bonus, when Rockstone is destroyed, I get two Rockstone Tokens on my side of the field in Defense mode."

Rockstone Tokens: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1

"They won't help you," Jack warned. "I play the Magic card Red Dragon Vase, which lets me draw two more cards." He looked at the cards he drew. "And it looks like I'll be placing them both facedown. That'll end my turn."

"Well then," LJ said nonchalantly, drawing a card, "Let's kick this duel up a notch. I shall make this battle worthy for a king! I play the Magic card Double Summon, which as you might guess, allows me to summon two monsters this turn, not just one. Now I tribute the first of my Rockstone Tokens to summon Kuraz, the Light Monarch! Wherever the light shines, Kuraz is there, to rule over all that is good and even some that is not so good. Come forth, Monarch of Light!" The token on the left dissolved into a shining portal. From that portal, a man in extremely bulky golden armor appeared, white cape billowing about him.

Kuraz the Light Monarch: Atk 2400, Def 1000, LV 6

"Ha, that monster doesn't have enough Attack points to do anything!" Jack said.

LJ smiled. "That doesn't mean Kuraz isn't useful. He can destroy two cards on the field at the price of not being able to attack this turn. So say goodbye to your facedowns! Don't worry though, you get to draw two cards to replace them" Kuraz drew a golden sword and slashed at the cards, sending a spiral beam of light towards both facedowns, destroying both cards.

Jack growled. "Not a bad maneuver, I'll give you that." He drew two cards to form a new hand.

"And it's only going to get worse. I sacrifice my other Token to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch!" The other Token shattered, releasing a howling gale into the room.

"Nothing but a summer breeze!" Jack bluffed, standing tall and proud in the wind, pride refusing to let him back down.

"Oh, I assure you, from the softest of summer breezes to the howling tempest of a mighty hurricane, Raiza is there to rule over all who feel the power of air! Come forth, Monarch of the Sky!" A figure similar to Kuraz appeared, though his bulky armor was more streamlined and colored green instead of gold. The gale ended and Raiza drew his green sabre.

"Did I mention Raiza also has a special ability?" asked LJ, "I can't afford to be so careless when ruling my subjects later. When Raiza is normal summoned, he can return a monster back to the top of the Deck!"

"What?!"

"So say goodbye to your Red Dragon Archfiend! Go Raiza! Return that Synchro monster back to the Extra Deck!" LJ shouted. Raiza swung his sword and sent a gale at the demonic dragon, who faded from sight under the intense winds.

"NO!" Jack cried, feeling a pain in his heart. It felt as though a bit of his soul had just been swept away.

"So, with no facedowns and no monsters, I think this a good time to show you the power of the Chaos Movement. Go, my Wind Monarch, attack that pathetic wannabe king directly! Aeroblast Attack!" The green monarch raised his sabre again and slashed at Jack, unleashing a whirlwind that tore at Jack's very being. Jack couldn't scream, for the air had been sucked out of his lungs, such was the ferocity of the whirlwind.

Downtown Satellite

Yusei gasped in pain as his arm burned. Akiza, Luna, and Crow were in similar situations, grasping at their forearms as they struggled to cope with the pain. Kaiba stood off to the side, watching the proceeding with a keen eye while Dani and Yugi struggled to find a way to help.

"What does this mean?" Yugi asked, concerned etched into his features.

"It means Jack's in trouble," Yusei gasped out. Dani was supporting Akiza while Leo aided Luna.

"Gah! Did it always hurt like this when you guys took major damage?" Crow panted.

"No," Akiza groaned, standing upright thanks to Dani, "I mean, we always felt something when someone took a direct attack, but nothing like this!" Mercifully, the pain died as the attack on Jack ended. Luna slumped, half-conscious from the sudden onslaught.

"You don't think Jack…lost, did he?" Leo asked hesitantly.

Yusei grinned despite himself. "Carly would kill me if that happened."

"Carly?" Yugi asked.

"Our reporter friend," Akiza said, "She and Jack have a thing going on between them. They aren't like your normal couple, but I think they're happy."

"Reporter?" Dani asked, "Does she have green hair and these weird glasses?"

"That's her alright," Yusei said, "I thought you said you were a loner."

"I am," Dani answered, "But she interviewed me once trying to get a scoop on Kaiba. I don't know how she tracked me down, but that reporter did. She thought that because I use three Blue-Eyes White Dragons that I was his great-great grandchild or something. It gave me a good laugh, that's for sure."

"Either way, we need to go find Jack and quickly," Yusei declared.

"You aren't going anywhere!" a man's voice rang out. Everyone gasped as a teal Duel Runner with draconic marking all over launched itself with a roar over a pile of rubble and landed between the group and Kaiba. "I'm here for one man and one man only! Seto Kaiba, you're going down!" The man climbed off the Runner, his emerald green jumpsuit matching well with the draconic green cloak.

"Oh really, and who thinks they have what it takes to defeat me?" Kaiba asked, dark blue eyes glaring at the newcomer.

The man took off his helmet and shook his bright green hair free. Kaiba's eyes widened when he saw the man's eyes, for one was teal and the other a deep emerald green. "I am Draco Regle, Ruler of Dragons, and I was assigned by the Master to remove you from this battlefield. Our mighty dragons shall clash, and I will show you the true power of dragons!" Draco's voice had a bit of a rasp to it, almost as if he were part dragon himself. He held up his right hand and the Japanese symbol for dragons began to glow on both his palm and his forehead. Teal colored flames sprung up around the group, weaving themselves into the Japanese symbol for dragons, as well as encircling everybody. The twins hugged each other out of fear, Dani smacked her forehead, Akiza and Crow both looked on in shock while Yusei and Yugi both concealed their shock and put on a brave face.

"Just what we needed," Dani said sarcastically, "why do you idiots show up when we least want you to?"

"That's just how the world works, sweetie," Draco replied, not taking his eyes off Kaiba. "Now, Kaiba, we shall engage in a glorious battle where I will reign supreme!" The self-titled Ruler of Dragons activated his Duel Disk and held it at the ready.

Kaiba stood still for a moment. Then he began to laugh. "Hehehehe, Ha Ha HA! You think you will defeat me?! Only one man has ever defeated me, and I intend to keep it that way! If you want to be humiliated that badly, then I accept your pathetic challenge. A few fancy holograms aren't going to scare me!" He turned on his Duel Disk and held it up in response.

"Let's Duel!" both men cried.

Kaiba LP: 4000 Draco LP 4000

"Something tells me this Duel isn't going to be as easy as Kaiba thinks it's gonna be," Dani said, "Hopefully that means I can see him summon his ace."

"But you have three copies of his ace already," Crow pointed out, "Why do you want to see Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons, they're the same as yours!"

"It's not the three that I want to see," Dani answered, "But the one Ultimate Dragon! That's his real ace!"

"I'll start," Kaiba said, drawing a card. "I summon The Bistro Butcher in Attack mode!" A blue goblin in orange rags resembling a butcher appeared, holding a wicked looking sword.

The Bistro Butcher: Atk 1800, Def 1000, LV 4

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn," Kaiba said, "Your move."

Western Satellite

Jack panted heavily when the gale finally subsided, allowing him to breathe again. Raiza sheathed his blade and took his post in front of LJ.

Jack LP: 1500

"I'll end my turn with a face down card," LJ said, still grinning that insolent grin. "I expected more from someone of your supposed caliber. Maybe you weren't deserving of your title. Perhaps you were nothing but another fraud set up by Goodwin."

Jack glared at LJ. "I'm no fraud, that's for certain. Let's go!" Jack drew a card and looked at the three in his hand. "Since there are monsters on your side of the field and none on mine, I'm allowed to summon Vice Dragon from my hand, but since I summoned him by way of his special ability, his Attack and Defense Points are halved!" A purple dragon formed in front of Jack, wings crossed in front of its body in Defense mode.

Vice Dragon, Atk 1000, Def 1200, LV 5

"Play all the defense monsters you can," LJ challenged, "My Monarchs will brush them aside like the paper tiger you are!"

"Words are all you're going to have left when I'm done with you!" Jack declared, "Because I'm summoning Clock Resonator from my hand in Attack mode!" A fiend similar to Dark Resonator, only this one was carrying a giant clock on its back, appeared next to Vice Dragon.

"Oh boy," LJ said, a hint of fear entering his voice.

"That's right, I tune Clock Resonator with Vice Dragon to Synchro Summon the ravenous Red Dragon Archfiend one more time!" Jack announced. Clock Resonator dissolved into three stars that became green rings, surrounding Vice Dragon, who dematerialized into five more stars, which glimmered before erupting into bright red flames. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! I Synchro Summon my very soul: The Red Dragon Archfiend!" The demonic dragon rose from the flames once again and roared, shaking the very building to its core. Jack held up his arm, the Mark of the Crimson Dragon glowing brighter than ever before.

"But I just got rid of that dragon!" LJ groaned.

"Well now he's back and he's going to attack Raiza the Wind Monarch! Go Scorching Crimson Flare!" Jack yelled. Red Dragon Archfiend roared again and gathered flames around its fist before punching the green armor of Raiza, shattering the monarch and sending fiery damage back towards the purple-robed Duelist. He groaned as the shards hit him, before examining his cloak. LJ turned back towards Jack with an enraged look.

LJ LP: 3400

"You singed my cloak!" He yelled, "Do you know how expensive this is?"

"Not really," Jack scoffed, "Money can't buy you real power. You have to earn it! I end my turn!"

"Fine, then I draw!" LJ growled, "And I activate my Trap, Reckless Greed! Now I get two more cards now, but I skip my next two Draw phases."

'He must be making his big move,' Jack thought, 'If he's giving up his draw power.'

"Now I activate the special ability of my Electric Virus!" LJ yelled, laughing. "By discarding this card to the Graveyard, I can take control of your Red Dragon Archfiend for the turn!" A lightning bolt emanated from LJ's Grave, where he had discarded Electric Virus and struck Red Dragon Archfiend. The demonic dragon roared in pain, then scooted over to LJ's side of the field and roared at Jack.

"No way!" Jack gasped.

"Oh yes, how ironic that your own dragon is going to be your destruction," LJ laughed. "You're finished, and once you fall, the rest of the Signers will fall just as swiftly! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

**Cue the dramatic cliffhanger! So, in summation, Jack is in the basement of a nondescript building in Western Satellite, Dueling for his life against another of the Master's minions, who as you might have guessed, has a bit of an ego. Kaiba is being his usual self and is Dueling Draco. I know it seems like it's a bit of Kaiba-bashing, but Kaiba will have his moment to shine sooner or later. I really enjoy the anti-hero characters, even if they annoy me with their rude mannerisms. Meh, nobody's perfect.**

**What kind of Dragons do you think Draco is going to use? Did you catch the three Pokémon references I made? Is Dani becoming an annoying OC? Let me know what youse guys think! Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve**

**Corina O, yes, I am accepting OC's so long as you follow the guidelines I set in the earlier chapter.**

**Until the next chapter my friends!**

**From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut**


	9. Clash of the Dragons

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!**

**Chapter 9: Clash of the Dragons**

Yusei winced as he felt another pulse of pain from his mark. Jack was having a rough go of it, apparently, but he hadn't lost yet. Yusei turned his eyes back to the Duel in front of him, where Seto Kaiba was facing another assailant from the Master, a man who was orchestrating all of this, but remained in the shadows himself. The Mark of the Dragon Head pulsed again, distracting Yusei once more. This didn't go unnoticed, as Yugi took his eyes off the Duel to observe Yusei.

"Are you all right?" the King of Games asked, concern in his purple eyes.

"I'll be fine," Yusei answered, "But Jack seems to be in trouble. I know he can turn it around quickly, but the Master isn't exactly messing around anymore, it seems."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, he seems to be sending people to attack others based on their cards. Seems that this Draco fellow is going to be using dragons against Kaiba."

Both protagonists focused on the Duel as Draco began his move. "I summon Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts to the field in Defense mode." A cute little green and gray dragon rose up, stirring the surrounding area with a lift gust of wind.

Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts: Atk 500, Def 1800, LV 3

Dani's eyes lit up. "Isn't that such an adorable little dragon?" She said excitedly to Crow, who gave her a look.

"That's the bad guy's dragon, you know that, right?" he said to her.

"Yeah, but I can't help myself sometimes," Dani answered, "I really like my dragons." She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just who I am."

"Don't get carried away," Crow warned, "If I remember correctly, that little dragon grows up into a really fierce dragon that could spell real trouble for Kaiba."

"It does?!" Dani exclaimed, eyes shining in excitement. Crow just rolled his eyes and turned back to the Duel.

"I'll put these four cards facedown and end my turn," Draco said. "Your turn Kaiba."

"Playing it safe won't get you anywhere," Kaiba said as he drew a card. "Although I do commend you for not summoning a monster with high Attack points. I set another card facedown and summon Lancer Dragonute in Defense mode. That ends my turn." A green bipedal dragon holding a green lance appeared on the field, crouched down defensively, as well as another facedown card behind it, joining the two more in the back row.

Lancer Dragonute: Atk 1500, Def 1800, LV 4

"I don't remember you ever having that card," Yugi commented,

"That's because I found this card lying on the street," Kaiba answered, "I've been looking to expand my dragon collection and this card seemed like a good place to start. As you can see, it's helping me now by replacing my Des Feral Imp."

"So, preparing to summon your famous White Dragon, eh?" Draco mused, "Let's put a stop to that." He drew a card, everyone looking on anxiously while Kaiba's glare never wavered.

Western Satellite

Jack Atlas looked on in horror as his beloved Red Dragon Archfiend glared daggers at him. His opponent, Louis John Bonaparte, had managed to take control of the demonic dragon and it left Jack wide open for an attack.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" LJ laughed, "Stare into the face of defeat! Your own mighty dragon is now mine. I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind holding onto this dragon after the Master's conquest. I'd have to find a Tuner monster to use, but for such a fierce beast, I think my Monarchs won't mind."

"You won't get away with this!" Jack cried out.

"And just how do you plan to stop me," LJ taunted, "When you have one card in your hand and no cards on the field? Your ultimate monster is about to wipe you off the face of the earth! Go Red Dragon Archfiend! Bring me victory and use your fire to destroy this pompous windbag!" Red Dragon Archfiend inhaled deeply, preparing to unleash a mighty fireball at its master. Jack took an involuntary step backwards from the fearful sight, until his Mark of the Dragon pulsed.

'That's right, I'm fighting for my friends,' Jack thought to himself as the Wing Mark glowed brightly. "Bonaparte! I will not fall to my own dragon. He will fight by my side until the very end, and I'll fight by my friend's side and protect this city with my very life if I have to!" Jack glared at LJ, despite the oncoming fireball. "And I'm going to start by summoning Battle Fader in Defense mode!" An oddly shaped clock-like fiend appeared in front of the fireball and began to ring its bell.

Battle Fader: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1

"Now, if I'm about to be attacked directly, I can summon Battle Fader directly from my hand, stop your attack, and end the Battle Phase of this turn!" Jack yelled. The sound waves from the ringing bell of Battle Fader extinguished the fireball and sent Red Dragon Archfiend back in front of LJ. "You and your Master will never prevail over the likes of me and my friends!" Jack announced.

LJ growled. "Fine. I end my turn with one card facedown."

Jack smirked. "Now, my Red Dragon Archfiend, come back to your rightful master! Shake off that effect of the Electric Virus and we will show this poser what we're made of!" Red Dragon Archfiend shook its head, as if coming out of a daze, seemed to realize where it was and flew back towards Jack, before taking up its position behind Jack. It roared at LJ, insulted that it had been used by someone other than Jack Atlas.

Downtown Satellite

Yusei gasped as his Mark of the Crimson Dragon flared, then faded. "Jack!" Something similar happened to the other three Signers.

Dani took notice of this, despite her sharp eyes watching the dragon on the field. "Okay, what's up? Why aren't your arms glowing anymore?"

"It's Jack!" Akiza said, staring at her arm, "The Crimson Dragon is directing all of its attention to him."

"What does that mean?" Dani asked, confused.

"Jack needs the power of the Crimson Dragon right now," Yusei answered.

"And taking your marks helps…how?"

"That's how the Crimson Dragon works," Yusei said, "I never really understood how it works, but the Crimson Dragon hasn't let us down yet."

Western Satellite

Jack's eyes grew wide as the Mark on his arm disappeared and a red glow appeared on his back. He glanced back to see the complete Mark of the Dragon and turned his glance back forward to the faux king. "I told you, the power I get for fighting for my friends will always triumph over anything your Master has to offer." The top card on his deck began glowing.

"This can't be!" LJ yelled.

"Yes it can!" Jack countered, drawing the card. Without even looking at it, he placed it on his Duel Disk. "I summon Majestic Dragon!" As the pink dragon appeared on the field, LJ's composure broke.

Majestic Dragon: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1

"What is that Dragon?!" he practically screeched.

"It's the Tuner that's going to finish you off!" Jack answered, "I tune Level one Battle Fader and Level eight Red Dragon Archfiend with Level one Majestic Dragon in order to Synchro Summon your downfall!" As the monsters began to line up for the Synchro Summon, Jack began chanting. "A lone single polished light, become the true high-ruler and illuminate the earth! Shine your light as I Synchro Summon the Majestic Red Dragon!" A bright pink light spread all over the battlefield before red flames erupted, bathing the room in scorching red colors. From those flames came a four-winged dragon looking much more regal than Red Dragon Archfiend. The Majestic Red Dragon unleashed a mighty roar that cracked the painted ceiling and shook the very foundation of the building.

Majestic Red Dragon: Atk 4000, Def 3000, LV 10

"Now Majestic Red Dragon can negate the ability of your Monarch and gain Attack points equal to your Monarch's Attack points until the end of the turn!" Jack said.

"You're bluffing!" LJ yelled as Majestic Red Dragon fired a red beam of light from its mouth that encased Kuraz the Light Monarch in a red crystal, freezing Kuraz in its place.

Majestic Red Dragon: Atk 6400

"I don't bluff," Jack said, "Now, Majestic Red Dragon: ATTACK! Shining Red Blast!" The majestic beast inhaled deeply and unleashed a torrent of bright red flames that consumed Kuraz, then continued on to LJ, who screamed in agony from the unbearable heat.

LJ LP: 0

When the flames cleared, Jack looked at his mighty beast, who sent a loving growl his way before fading from sight. Jack noted that the complete Mark of the Dragon disappeared off his back and the Wing Mark of the Dragon reappeared on his arm. The former Turbo King smiled and turned his gaze back to his defeated opponent. Unlike his last Shadow Duel, however, his opponent remained standing. In fact, LJ was busy stomping out the last flames on what used to be his cloak.

"I hate you!" he roared at Jack when he noticed the victor's gaze. He walked over to his throne and sat down. "But, the Master will avenge me. Until that time comes, I must leave."

"Not until I get some answers!" Jack stated as he began crossing the still warm battlefield.

"You may have won this battle," LJ said, pressing some buttons on the armrest of his great throne, "But the Chaos Movement will win the war. Ha ha ha ha ha!" The floor slid out from under the throne, which fell neatly into hole before the floor sealed it back up, no doubt whisking LJ off to some new safe location.

"Damn!" swore Jack as he stood where the throne had once sat. "How do they always manage to get away? Oh well, best find my way out of this place." His purple eyes spotted a staircase and he made his way towards it, noting that his arm was glowing still. "I wonder who's Dueling?"

Downtown Satellite

Yusei and the other Signers breathed a sigh of relief as their marks began glowing again. "It looks like Jack won!"

"Of course he did!" Leo shouted, "You're the only guy who beat him, Yusei!"

Yusei nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet. First, Kaiba has to deal with this Draco guy and then we have to take out the Master, and something tell me that's way easier said than done."

"The way we've been beating his people, I'm sure you can handle him Yusei," Leo shrugged.

"My turn," Draco said, interrupting them. "I'll activate Foolish Burial to send Eclipse Wyvern from my Deck to the grave. Because Eclipse Wyvern was sent to the Grave, I'm allowed to banish a Level 7 or higher Dragon from my Deck, so I'm going to banish Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos from my Deck!" An image of a red wyvern followed by another image of a volcanic like dragon appeared and disappeared briefly.

"Why would he banish a strong monster from his Deck?" Leo asked, perplexed.

"It's one way to fish it out from the Deck," Yusei explained gently, "Also, now if he plays a card that brings back banished monsters, he can bring that dragon back with little to no cost." Leo "humphed" and turned back to the Duel.

"And because I banished Blaster, I'm allowed to add a Fire Attribute Dragon type monster from my Deck to my hand, which will be Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks. Next I'll summon Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles from my hand!" Draco said. A little brown dragon with stones covering its body and a spiked ball tail appeared, drawing another little squeal of excitement from Dani.

Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles: Atk 1800, Def 1200, LV 4

"There's another cutie!" she gushed, even as the dragon let out a little roar.

"Do you do this with every dragon you see?" Crow asked incredulously.

"Only with super powerful dragons or really cute ones," Dani answered innocently. Crow looked at her, about to say something before he noticed the twinkle in her eye.

"You're putting me on, aren't you?" he asked. She just laughed as Draco continued his move.

"I activate the Trap card Castle of Dragon Souls!" Draco announced as the Trap flipped up and began glowing. A mountain began to grow behind him, shaking the ground in the immediate vicinity. A castle formed on top of the mountain and various dragons could be seen flying around the castle.

Draco grinned. "When this continuous Trap is activated, once per turn I can banish a Dragon from my Grave and give 700 Attack points to one Dragon on my field. Here's a power boost for you Reactan, courtesy of my Eclipse Wyvern." The little Earth Dragon roared as a red glow surrounded it.

Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles: Atk 2500

"And since Eclipse Wyvern was banished, I'm allowed to add Blaster back to my hand," Draco said, plucking the card out of his Duel Disk's Banish zone, adding it to the other card in his hand. Kaiba looked on, facial expression never changing. "Now, let's attack your Bistro Butcher and remove one of your sacrifices for your precious Blue-Eyes. Go Reactan! Attack with Earth Power!" The little dragon roared and stomped the ground, creating several cracks that traveled towards the Bistro Butcher. When the cracks reached the Fiend, the ground erupted, obliterating the monster. Kaiba growled as he weathered the damage.

Kaiba LP: 3300

"And with that, I'll end my turn, returning Reactan's power back to normal." Draco said as the red glow around Reactan faded.

Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles: Atk 1800

"Not a bad move," Kaiba admitted, "but I'll show you how fruitless it is. I draw!" He glared at his opponent. "I'll sacrifice my Lancer Dragonute to activate White Dragon Ritual!" The green dragon in front of Kaiba shattered, creating a portal through which a knight riding a small white dragon appeared. "I summon Paladin of White Dragon!"

Paladin of White Dragon: Atk 1900, Def 1200, LV 4

"Now Paladin, attack that Dragon Ruler of Drafts with Ionic Spear Burst!" Kaiba yelled.

"Why is he attacking the monster in Defense mode?" Leo asked as the Paladin of White Dragon turned into a purple lance of energy, which tore through Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Storms and destroyed it.

"I don't know," Akiza answered, eyes narrowed, "I really don't know. He must be planning something."

"We're gonna see my favorite dragon soon, that's what," Dani answered, looking on in excitement.

"I'm surprised you didn't go after my Life Points, Kaiba," Draco commented.

"That's because the worst is yet to come," Kaiba answered, "For now I sacrifice my Paladin of White Dragon to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck!" As the legendary dragon appeared on the field and roared, Kaiba laughed. "Ha ha ha ha ha! You call yourself a Dragon Ruler when you can't even tame my mighty Blue-Eyes! I end my turn with a facedown."

Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8

"Indeed," Draco said, drawing a card, "I activate my Trap card Dragoncarnation, which allows me to return Eclipse Wyvern from the Banished zone to my hand. Next I'll activate my Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos' special ability. By discarding it and Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks from my hand, I'm allowed to destroy one card on the field. So say goodbye to your precious Blue Eyes!" An image of two dragons appeared above Draco, one adult, one baby, both volcanic looking, and unleashed a giant fireball that consumed Blue-Eyes before fading from sight again.

"No!" Kaiba yelled, stunned.

"Next I'll summon Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets from my hand in Attack mode!" Draco announced. A blue dragon which looked like a flowing stream as it moved appeared next to Reactan.

Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets: Atk 1600, Def 2000, LV 4

"If Kaiba doesn't do something about this, then he's going lose this Duel," Yugi commented fearfully.

"I activate my Trap card, Ring of Destruction!" Kaiba announced. This will destroy one of your monsters and we'd both take damage equal to your monster's Attack points."

"Why bother destroying it them?" Draco asked, "My other dragon will still take you out!"

"Not if I activate another facedown card, Ring of Defense!" Kaiba countered, "Because a Trap has been activated that does damage to my Life Points, Ring of Defense activates to protect my Life Points, meaning you're the only one who takes damage!" A fiery ring appeared around Reactan, who struggled to take it off, but it exploded before Reactan could get a grip. Another ring appeared in front of Kaiba and projected a green force field, blocking the damage from the explosion. Draco was not so lucky and was knocked backwards into a rock pile from the explosion.

Draco LP: 2200

"A clever move, I'll give you that," Draco admitted as he picked himself up off the pile. He groaned a little as his body protested the violent treatment. Draco then cracked his neck a couple of times before taking his spot again across from Kaiba. "But too little too late. Now go Stream! Attack his Life Points directly with your Scald attack!" The little watery dragon inhaled deeply and exhaled a stream of water that was boiling hot, literally. The water was so hot, it was half steam half water by the time it reached Kaiba, who held up his arms defensively. He bore the pain with a growl, even as the hot water burned. After the attack ended, Kaiba was soaked in steaming water. The Kaibacorp president was breathing heavily as he examined himself.

"So these Duels are for real," he murmured to himself.

Kaiba LP: 1700

"I'll end my turn," Draco said smugly.

"Hang in there Kaiba," Dani yelled encouragingly, "You can beat this guy no problem!"

"We're with you all the way!" Yugi added.

Kaiba grunted. "While I appreciate your little fan club, I don't need your help to win this!"

Dani glared at Kaiba. "Why do you always brush us off like that?"

"He at least admitted he appreciated our support," Yugi pointed out quietly to Dani, "It's more than what he's done in the past."

That made Dani pause. "So you mean he's been even more of an ass to you and your friends in the past than he has been to us? Wow!"

"That hasn't stopped him from doing the right thing when it matters," Yugi explained, "Just be patient with him, he might come around."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Have some faith."

"I draw!" Kaiba announced. "I'll activate Card of Demise. This lets me draw five new cards, but if I don't use them in five turns, I lose them in five turns."

"Looking for your Monster Reborn, are you?" Draco asked.

"Not looking for, I found it," Kaiba answered, "And I'll use it to revive my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" As the White Dragon appeared on the field again, Draco grinned.

"This is going to be fun," he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Next, I activate Polymerization!" Kaiba announced.

"No way!" Dani gasped, "He's going to summon it!"

"I send two Blue-Eyes from my hand and the one on the field to the Graveyard to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba yelled. Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared briefly before disappearing into a swirl. That swirl erupted into a pillar of light that faded and revealed the three-headed Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Atk 4500, Def 3800, LV 12

"Whoa!" Leo gasped, looking at the mighty dragon, "That thing is huge!" His sister remained silent, observing the dragon with awe.

"Talk about witnessing history coming to life," Yusei commented to Akiza, who nodded in agreement.

Dani was overflowing with excitement. "Nowayheactuallysummonedhisultimatedragonthisissounbelievable!"

"Slow down there girl!" Crow said, "It's just one dragon!"

Dani took a couple of breaths to calm down. "It's not just any dragon! It's the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Kaiba has been the only one to summon it and now I get to see it with my own eyes! This is too cool!"

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Kaiba laughed, "I commend you for forcing me to summon my Ultimate Dragon. Few people actually push me this far. However, you're finished now! Watch as my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon destroys your Dragon Ruler of Droplets and ends this Duel! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Neutron Blast!" The three-headed dragon opened its mouths and each mouth fired a brilliant blast of white energy, which melded together to form a blinding beam heading straight towards the tiny water dragon.

"I activate a Trap!" Draco yelled to everyone's surprise, "Dimensional Prison! Now your dear Ultimate Dragon is removed from play and your attack is negated!"

"What?!" Kaiba exclaimed, fear finally showing up on his face.

"No way!" Yugi gasped.

"This is bad," Yusei said.

"NO!" Dani screamed as the Ultimate Dragon's attack disappeared into a dimensional rift that sucked the Ultimate Dragon into it as well, leaving Kaiba's field with only one facedown card.

"Not even the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can stand up to the power of the Master!" Draco declared, "Now end your turn so I can finish you off!"

"Just shut up!" Kaiba growled, placing the last card in his hand into the Spell/Trap zone on his Duel Disk. "Go."

"With pleasure," Draco replied as he drew a card. "Now I'm going to banish Stream, Dragon Ruler of Droplets and Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks in order to summon Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls! Behold, as the powers of water coalesce into one mighty form and create the dragon king of the ocean!" Stream began to glow white as an image of Burner appeared and was absorbed into Stream. The little dragon began growing, changing shape, becoming larger and larger until the light faded and revealed the adult form of Stream. The Dragon Ruler of Droplets had become the Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls.

Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls: Atk 2600, Def 2000, LV 7

"This isn't good," Leo said fearfully.

"I'm sure Kaiba can pull this off," Yugi said reassuringly, "He has those two facedowns. They have to be able to do something."

"Now go Tidal, show him the power of water with your Hydro Cannon attack!" Draco yelled. The large dragon roared and began to gather energy into its mouth until a glowing sphere of watery energy glowed a bright aqua blue. The dragon launched the energy at Kaiba, who glowered at his opponent.

"You may have a new dragon out, but it still can't do anything," Kaiba snarled, "I activate Negate Attack, which cancels your attack and ends your Battle Phase." The orb of water was sucked into a portal that appeared in front of Kaiba and disappeared harmlessly.

"All right, he's still in it!" Dani exclaimed.

"Let's just hope he draws a monster card," Luna said, "He needs some form of defense."

"Well well, looks like you get another turn. Let's see what you can do with no cards in your hand and one card facedown on the field," Draco said

"You underestimate me at your own peril," Kaiba answered, drawing a card. When he looked at it, his eyes widened. "You're one lucky girl Dani."

The female Blue-Eyes Duelist was caught off guard by that statement. "What?"

"I activate my facedown card, Return from the Different Dimension!" Kaiba yelled, "At the cost of half my Life Points, I can bring back my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from the beyond!" A giant portal opened up behind Kaiba. Through it flew the three-headed dragon Kaiba loved so dearly.

Kaiba LP: 850

"You know it only lasts until the end of the turn, right?" Draco asked knowingly.

"I do indeed," Kaiba answered, "Which is why I'm going to sacrifice my reborn Ultimate Dragon to summon a new dragon!"

"What?!" Everyone but Yugi and Dani exclaimed. Yugi grinned as he knew what was coming. Dani stood in stunned silence, unable to completely grasp what Kaiba was saying, yet part of her knew exactly what was coming; the rare card she had heard about, but never knew if Kaiba actually used it. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was surrounded by a blue aura and its skin began cracking.

"But the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is your strongest monster!" Draco yelled, "Why are you sacrificing it?!"

"An unrivaled power releases its emotions in order to return as a shining force!" Kaiba answered, "Come forth, mighty Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon finally shattered and released a blinding light, a light only Kaiba and Dani were able to see through. The two Blue-Eyes Duelists watched while everyone else covered their eyes, one in awe and the other in satisfaction, as the new dragon appeared in the light and raised its wings, a light blue glow appearing within the grooves along its metallic body, contrasting menacingly with the dark body silhouetted in the bright light.

"What is this light?" Draco cried, unable to see through the blinding light. The light slowly faded, but the fear struck within the Ruler of Dragon's heart did not. When the Dragon Ruler Duelist dared to lower his arms and look up, he was startled by what he saw. The new dragon looked like a metallic Blue-Eyes White Dragon with no forearms, light blue armor punctuated by darker blue orbs dotting its body. It glared at Draco with bright azure eyes and the grooves in its body continued to glow a light blue.

Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 10

"What is that?" Yusei asked as he uncovered his eyes and beheld the new dragon.

"The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon," Yugi answered, "Kaiba's ultimate beast."

"The best Blue-Eyes card of all time," Dani whispered in awe, eyes never leaving the dragon.

"There were only supposed to be four dragons!" Draco yelled, "Where did that come from?!"

"I won it from Pegasus, that's what," Kaiba answered smugly.

"Regardless, it's just as strong as a normal Blue-Eyes," Draco shrugged, "I can still take it out with Tidal."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Kaiba said, "You see, for every Dragon in my Graveyard, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon gains 300 Attack points. So, with Lancer Dragonute, Paladin of White Dragon, three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and one Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the Graveyard, that's a punishing 1800 right off the bat, for a grand total of 4800."

Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon: Atk 4800

"So it's a slightly stronger Ultimate Dragon," Draco scoffed, "I'll activate my last Trap card, Rageki Break! By discarding Eclipse Wyvern from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy your Shining Dragon. Not only that, but I'll banish Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms from my Deck thanks to Eclipse Wyvern's special ability. And since Tempest was banished, I'll add another Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts from my Deck to my hand." The little red wyvern appeared briefly before turning into a lightning bolt that flew towards Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and struck it with a mighty explosion. Draco laughed in relief as smoke enveloped the field. "Tidal will take you out with ease."

"Oh really?" Kaiba asked nonchalantly, "Why don't you take a closer look?"

"What?" Draco asked, looking on in horror as the smoke cleared to reveal the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. "But I just destroyed that dragon!"

"I'm afraid your little Rageki Break didn't quite work as you thought it would," Kaiba said, "Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's Shining Diffusion lets me choose which Magic, Trap, or Effect cards can affect my Shining Dragon."

"Oh no!" Draco cried, cold realization gripping his heart.

"Oh yes," Kaiba countered, "Your Master is going to have to do better than this if he wants to defeat the great Seto Kaiba! Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, attack with Shining Neutron Blast!" Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon unleashed a brilliant light blue beam of energy that completely annihilated Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls and sent Draco flying back to his Duel Runner.

Draco LP: 0

The teal flames faded, freeing the others and the symbol for dragons in the sky slowly faded as well. Dani watched the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon as it roared at the sky before fading from sight. She was so happy at what she had just witnessed; it was as though someone had filled a balloon of pure happiness in her chest. She looked over at Draco, who was struggling to his feet, feeling the aftereffects of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's attack still and the balloon in her chest deflated a bit. The Master was still out there and who knew what he had in store for them next. Dani watched as Kaiba strode over to Draco grabbed him, yanked him up by his shirt, and slammed him against the teal dragon-themed Duel Runner.

"I want answers now," the Kaibacorp president demanded, "Who is this Master and where is he hiding?"

Draco chuckled. "If its answers you seek, you will find them to the North." With that cryptic answer, he grabbed Kaiba's arm and spun, twisting Kaiba around so that his arm was pinned against his back. Draco followed this with a push that sent Kaiba crashing into the charging Yusei. While the two tried to disentangle themselves from each other, Draco climbed back onto his Duel Runner and sped off, heading north down a narrow street that led to who knows where.

"Dude, your interrogation technique needs work," Crow said as Kaiba stood up, "Waay too cliché, you gotta do something scarier than slamming the guy against his Runner. Why not hold him over a bridge or something?"

"He's Seto Kaiba, not Batman," Dani said with a laugh before Kaiba could answer.

"Either way, we have a little lead on where the Master is," Yusei said, "And we have to put a stop to this before someone gets hurt."

Chaos Movement Headquarters

The Master frowned as he watched the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon defeat Draco. Yet another unexpected development. He had heard about an even more powerful Blue-Eyes card being created by Pegasus, and it stood to reason that Kaiba would eventually get his grubby rich hands on it, but the Master didn't think Kaiba would have gotten that card until much later in his life, not to mention the fact that the legendary Duelists were already starting to adapt to this era of Dueling. Bonaparte had failed as well, getting defeated by Jack. The Master knew that going up against the chosen ones of the Crimson Dragon, as well as the King of Games, wasn't going to be easy, no. The Master stroked his chin thoughtfully as he observed Yugi and company come to a consensus and began following Draco's flight path down the street.

"Let's see these fools squirm out of this trap," he chuckled to himself. "hehehehehahahahaha. NyehehehehahaHaHA! AaahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAAA!" The insane laughter echoed around his chamber, sending chills down the backs of everyone who heard it.

**Chapter 9 is done, finally. I'm not really familiar with Dragon Rulers, especially since they're mostly banned, so it took a bit to figure out how to use them. If I could've used them better, let me know. I've given a hint as to who's Dueling next who back in the Chapter: Attack of the Lightsworns, feel free to speculate. So yeah, both Jack and Kaiba won exciting Duels, summoning their best dragons. I realize that Red Nova Dragon isn't available until later in the 5D's series, so Jack'll have to do with Majestic Red Dragon. Speaking of which, a certain Signer will be getting a Majestic Synchro Dragon when she Duels, and that Duel isn't far off either. **

**The Master is a combination of two famous villains. Which ones do you think they are? Did you catch the four Pokémon references? What do you guys think? Did you notice the new cover photo for this story? Thanks to my friend Mary Pimm for the amazing artwork! Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.**

**Until the next chapter my friends!**

**From your Nutty Buddy, the Eagle Nut**


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